The move followed a rallying call from communities secretary John Denham who last week urged councils to use their influence to become a central part of the fight against climate change.
Ahead of next week's Copenhagen summit, Mr Denham said a change in mindset was needed and Birmingham’s move has done just that by outlining the city’s ambition to be at the forefront of national and international efforts to tackle climate change.
The Birmingham declaration on climate change states that by 2015:
- all vehicles procured by the council will be electrically powered or run on liquefied petroleum gas.
- there will be at least 500 electric cars on the streets of Birmingham using a network of charging infrastructure provided by the council.
- 50% of electricity used by the council will be generated from renewable sources.
- the council's energy consumption will be reduced by a quarter.
- A tenth of Birmingham homes will be linked to district heating systems.
- 10% of the city’s homes will have retrofit insulation.
- There will be at least 10 ‘low carbon communities’ following in the footsteps of the city’s Summerfield eco-neighbourhood.
Deputy leader Cllr Paul Tilsley, said ‘Birmingham over the last few years has developed a strong reputation as a national leader on the issues of climate change and sustainability.
‘We are now seeking to take that onto the next level with the Birmingham Declaration which we think is something that other local authorities could adopt in part or whole as they attempt to tackle environmental matters.
‘The combined purchasing power of local government, coupled with the objectives outlined in this declaration can give manufacturers the confidence to invest in green technologies, to develop new products and to therefore create fresh employment opportunities that would have never existed before.
‘By achieving the objectives we have set, we will significantly reduce carbon emissions and make Birmingham a cleaner and greener city.’
