Ditching the declaration: the real cost of Reform UK's plans to rescind the climate emergency in Kent

Reports in the media suggest that newly Reform UK led Kent County Council will be rescinding its climate emergency declaration, or at least that the motion will be put before the full council meeting for debate and vote.

So what are the justifications given for the motion and do the arguments align with the latest research? Our Senior Research Fellow in Sustainability Policy, Richard Sulley, shares his expert opinions on behalf of our Green Watch team.

Why rescind the climate emergency declaration?

The BBC reports that;

"A motion due to be discussed by Kent County Council (KCC) on Thursday, says the declaration which has been in place since 2019 "has had no discernible effect on the world's climate".

It says the resulting policies have been "to the detriment of small, local suppliers" and "scared numerous young people"."

KCC declared their emergency in 2019 and are one of the 87% of County, District, Metropolitan, Borough and Unitary Authorities within England to have done so, not to mention the numerous devolved administrations and Mayoralities. A statement released by KCC at the time said:

"We recognise the UK environment and climate emergency and will continue to commit resources and align its policies to address this. Through the framework of the Energy and Low Emissions Strategy, we will facilitate the setting and agreement of a target of Net Zero emissions by 2050 for Kent and Medway.

We will, by May 2020, set an accelerated target with associated action plan for its own estate and activities including those of its traded companies using appropriate methodologies. In addition, we will deliver a Kent and Medway Climate Change Risk and Impact Report and develop and facilitate adoption of a subsequent Kent and Medway Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plan by the end of March 2020."

What’s in a declaration?

At worst these declarations are nothing more than performative, with the administrations that signed them seemingly having no interest in adhering to either the spirit or the letter of the words to which they agreed.

But where they do work, they set an intent and give a framework for subsequent action and a lens through which to view other activities, policies and projects. 

So let’s examine Reform UK’s arguments more closely by comparing them with the latest research.

1. No discernible effect on the world’s climate

It’s hard to argue with the first point in Reform UK's motion, that the declaration, "has had no discernible effect on the world's climate". Of course it hasn’t. It was never supposed to. That is not how collective action and collective responsibility works. It relies on all of us, from the individual to the largest state, to do what we can.

For example, it is often stated that China is responsible for emissions. Yet even if it ceased tomorrow, and took with it a significant proportion of the world's manufacturing output, 73% of the emissions would remain. As carbon stays in the atmosphere, we also have to look at the historical contribution and China lags behind the USA and EU still on that metric. 

2. Detrimental to small, local suppliers

As for the other claim, that the resulting policies are "to the detriment of small, local suppliers", let’s look at what is listed on their website.

Active Travel   - There’s a plethora of published materials on how promotion of active travel can help small businesses, from having a happier and healthier workforce, reducing operating costs and sick days , and for retailers increased footfall and spending on the high street.

Aviation - KCC oppose the expansion of Gatwick airport, recognising the public health implications of increased surface and air traffic with no discernible benefit for the residents.  This is in line with the evidence taken from the latest New Economic Foundation report which suggests that airport expansion does not deliver benefits to the local area.

Reducing Emissions - Through activities like Housing Retrofit and Heat pumps, KCC are supporting reduced energy bills for residents. This can lift people out of fuel poverty and generate additional disposable income for the local economy, not to mention provide work for local trades. In fact, KCC stated in its own case study, that the results of its project to retrofit homes in Tonbridge and Malling will be that “Each home will save about £500 per year on their energy bill (based on the UK Government's Standard Assessment Procedure model) and reduce their carbon output by 2.5 tonnes each year.”

3. Young people are scared

The final claim is that the declaration has “scared numerous young people”. Young people are scared, and arguably rightly so. Eco-anxiety is a real and dangerous threat to our young (and not so young) people. The answer is of course not to pretend the issue doesn’t exist. 

As shown in the recently published Britain Talks Climate and Nature Report when issues are communicated carefully, concisely and consistently and people understand why decisions are being taken they overwhelmingly support work to address the climate emergency.

Afterall action is the antidote to despair.

So not only does the latest evidence contradict Reform UK's claims about the negative effects of the climate emergency declaration, but it shows that the policies based on it can greatly benefit the local area. As justifiable anger towards the motion grows, let's hope the outcome is determined by evidence, not political spin.