Southend recognised as global leader in climate action
The coastal town was listed as one of 95 towns and cities around the world engaging in innovative climate change initiatives.
A new report has named Southend-on-Sea as one of 95 world-leading towns and cities leading the way in global climate action and leadership.
Not-for-profit organisation CDP placed the soon-to-be city in its 2021 A-List, which recognises authorities that have shown innovation and transparency in taking environmental action.
We spoke to Laura Perry, an Essex-native, who is the senior manager at CDP's Cities, States and Regions team. She said: "We're really excited that a town which is becoming a city has made it to our A-list, alongside big players like Tokyo and Buenos Aires.
"It shows that its not always the bigger cities that are showing leadership around the world, towns like Southend can also make important contributions."
Jo Gay, the first-ever head of climate change at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, said in a statement: “The A List accreditation is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of both the excellent work of colleagues and the Council’s commitment to a carbon neutral Southend."
Her sentiments were echoed by Carole Mulroney, the council's cabinet member for the environment: "I am delighted that our climate change work and ambitions have been recognised by the Carbon Disclosure Project and we are fully committed to reducing our carbon emissions and achieving Net Zero by 2030 for both the Council and Southend."
The goal stated above was one of the many reasons why Southend was chosen to be on the A-List. Ms Parry told us: "In order to be selected, any city or town has to fit certain criteria. This includes having an ambitious target, like net-zero by 2030 which was the commitment made by the Southend-on-Sea council. It's also key that they are 42 percent the way towards achieving that target.
"Southend have also shown that they are working with businesses in partnership, working with schools as well to reduce plastic waste. They have also created the exciting new REMeDY project which is helping to build a local energy system within Southend-on-Sea."
The REMeDY initative will design a private energy network that integrates power, heating and vehicle charging. It will be tested in various residential as well as commercial properties including at as Fossett's Farm development and Victoria Shopping Centre. They estimate that it will lead to a ten percent cost reduction for the user and contribute significantly to the council's push to become net-zero.
"It's definitely a key example of how cities can move beyond words and take real action. One of things we've seen particularly from Southend is this emphasis on innovation and technology which can be expanded across other towns and cities in the UK and beyond", Ms Parry adds.
Southend-on-Sea is joined by ten other cities on the A-List. This includes London, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Poole, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leicester, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading and Sunderland.
"In the UK, we went from 4 cities on the list in 2020 to 11 in 2021. What this means is that those cities and town are stepping up and showing real leadership", she says.
Cities contribute to over 70 per cent of global emissions and houses over half the world's population. Ms Parry adds: "In future assessments we're going to be looking at a few more things. Firstly, we want to see cities setting science-based targets, which are ambitious and looks at the level of action they must take in order to meet its fair share of emission reduction.
"Also, having a greater focus on climate risk and vulnerability. This means assessing and identifying which members of the community are most likely to be worst affected by climate change. We would further like to see authorities collaborating with businesses and other stakeholders, in order to create the changes we need to see."