By Cllr Jason Brock
Even in the current unseasonable mildness, the hottest day of this year can seem like a distant memory.
But in 2022, Reading experienced its hottest day ever on record this summer – it was Tuesday, July 19 when the thermometer hit 37.6°C in the town.
This is unlikely to be a one-off, as is clearly illustrated by our own climate stripes.
For those unaware, the world-famous stripes are the brainchild of Ed Hawkins, who is Professor of Climate Science University of Reading, and are a visual representation of how the temperature has changed over many years.
Each stripe represents the average temperature over each calendar year.
It won’t shock you to know that Reading’s stripes have turned from mainly blue to mainly red in more recent years in what is a graphic and easily interpreted snapshot of climate change locally. The same step change from blue to red can be found in the stripes for other towns and cities across the world.
It is now almost four years since the Council declared a climate emergency on behalf of the community of Reading, and we’ve seen some real progress locally in that time.
The Council, for example, has cut its own carbon footprint by over 70% since 2008/09. Across the whole borough, Reading’s carbon footprint has fallen by 55% since 2005, that is the fourth largest reduction of all 374 UK local authority areas.
And last year the Council was also named by the Carbon Disclosure Project as one of only 11 local authority areas in the UK, and one of only 95 worldwide, to be added to their ‘A’ list for taking ‘bold climate action’, which is a tremendous accolade in what is considered to be the gold standard in environmental reporting.
Having successfully plucked much of the low-hanging fruit, as a Council we are constantly looking for new ways to build on what we have achieved so far.
Last year, for example, Reading Borough Council launched Berkshire’s first fully electric waste collection vehicle, making collections from 1,400 houses every single day daily and covering around 8,000 miles a year.
This saves 32,200kg of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared to a diesel equivalent. Virtually the entire Council rubbish collection fleet will be electrified by 2028.
I’d serve no purpose in patting myself and colleagues on the back too much, though.
I’m told the rate at which Reading borough cuts its emissions will need to increase for the town to achieve the ambitious goal of net zero by 2030, in nearly seven years’ time.
And, for as much progress as has already been made, it is also sobering to note that Reading Borough Council is responsible for less than 1.5% of the town’s carbon footprint.
Our challenge – and indeed the challenge of every local council – is to try to mobilise their towns and cities to act, from individual residents and visitors to private businesses and other organisations. It is plainly obvious that net zero is not something any council can achieve on its own.
It means always trying to find new and innovative ways of raising the profile of climate action and keeping it at the forefront of people’s minds so that it makes a material difference to the choices people are making every single day.
I was delighted, therefore, to see Reading Football Club incorporate the climate stripes on the sleeves on their home kits this season in their march towards the promised land of the Premier League. It’s the sort of simple but highly effective and highly visual initiative that can help achieve our goal.
How wonderful it would be to see Reading’s climate stripes on show at some of the world’s biggest grounds (and maybe that little stadium in Bournemouth), taking in a worldwide audience.
We are lucky in Reading to have so many partners on the same page. Aside from the football club, for the past 15 years we have worked closely with partners in the Reading Climate Change Partnership to take this forward locally. That important work is going to need to continue in the years to come.
Over the coming weeks, and as part of our own Climate Change Awareness Month, the Council will be showcasing ways in which people and organisations can make a difference. It includes hosting the Schools’ Climate Conference, inspiring communities to be greener and to take action on reducing plastics and promoting low-cost and no-cost energy efficiency measures.
And with a ‘new’ Government administration now in place (at least for the month, based on precedent), let’s hope they will step up to the plate, unlike their predecessors, and equip local communities and councils with the resources they need to make a difference on the ground. That is, after all, where this battle will be won and lost.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote
