The Council and democracy Zero carbon Manchester

Our mission is to make Manchester a healthy, green and socially just city. One where everyone can thrive. Our target is to become a zero-carbon city by 2038 at the latest. That’s 12 years ahead of the Government’s target for the UK of 2050.  

We launched the city’s first plan for collective climate action in 2009. And we reduced the Council’s direct carbon emissions (from our buildings and services) by 54.7% from 2010 to 2020.

But the United Nation’s reports on climate change showed that it wasn't enough. The world needed more drastic action. We need to limit global warming to 1.5oC (compared to pre-industrial levels). Delaying global reductions would result in catastrophic climate change.

Manchester declared a climate emergency in July 2019. We made a new commitment. To halve our carbon emissions again and to do it in the next five years, not ten.

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