News: Islington Council highlights GreenSCIES in its landmark Net Zero Carbon vision

Posted on November 19th, 2020

Islington Council has published two landmark strategy reports which outline how it can create a greener, healthier, fairer borough for all.  

The two blueprints – “Vision 2030: Creating a Net Zero Carbon Islington by 2030” and the “Islington Transport Strategy 2020-2041” – map out long-term strategies for creating a more sustainable Islington for present and future generations.

The strategies detail actions that the council can commit to taking immediately, potential commitments that require further investigation, and, crucially, what the council requires from others, such as central Government, to achieve its goals, including funding, powers and legislation.

Let's work together to make Islington net zero carbon by 230

Upon declaring a climate emergency last year, Islington Council set itself the bold, ambitious target of creating a net zero carbon borough by 2030. The Vision 2030 report outlines how – with the help of others, such as GreenSCIES – this goal can be achieved, which in turn would reduce the cost of living and the inequalities that are caused by climate change.  Meanwhile, the Transport Strategy maps out the necessary steps to achieve a fairer, healthier and greener transport environment by the year 2041.

Vison 2030 report coverCllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are facing a climate emergency, and these two blueprints set out a clear vision for how the borough and its key partners can tackle this together and create a greener, fairer and more sustainable borough for present and future generations.

“When we declared a climate emergency last year, we set ourselves the ambitious target of creating a net zero carbon borough by 2030, and these documents outline the bold, exciting steps necessary to help turn this target into a reality.

“The strategies show that Islington Council is taking the lead when it comes to tackling the climate emergency.  What is clear, though, is that we cannot achieve these goals alone. The strategies set out ambitious, wide-ranging innovations and ideas, which can only come to fruition with support from others, including residents, local businesses, and other bodies including central Government.”

The Vision 2030 report details the steps that the council has taken so far to address climate change. These include being a partner in the GreenSCIES project with the aim of reducing fuel poverty in the borough and utilising green energy, launching London’s largest carbon offset fund and building the world-first Bunhill 2 Energy Centre which uses waste heat from the London Underground to heat local homes.

Local residents, businesses, and community groups are at the heart of the borough, and will also play a significant role in helping Islington to achieve net zero. A novel element of the GreenSCIES project is the involvement of the local community to co-create the design, ensuring it meets local needs and aspirations.  GreenSCIES is also looking at ways of incorporating community funding into the project.

The adoption of the two documents will be subject to a vote at the council’s executive meeting on Thursday, 26 November. You can read both the Vision 2030 report and the Transport Strategy in full on the council’s website.

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