Climate, Environment & Biodiversity Committee - 06/01/2025

At a MEETING of the CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 6th January, 2025.

 

Present:-

 

Depute Lord Provost Kevin CORDELL

 

BAILIES

 

Will DAWSON	Kevin KEENAN	Fraser MACPHERSON
Christina ROBERTS	Helen WRIGHT	Derek SCOTT

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Heather ANDERSON	Steven ROME	Dorothy McHUGH
Jimmy BLACK	Lynne SHORT	George McIRVINE
Mark FLYNN	Roisin SMITH	Wendy SCULLIN
Stewart HUNTER	Siobhan TOLLAND	Daniel COLEMAN
Ken LYNN	Jax FINNEGAN	Michael CRICHTON
Lee MILLS		Craig DUNCAN

 

Councillor Heather ANDERSON, Convener, in the Chair.

 

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 18th November, 2024 was held as read.

 

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

 

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

II THE GLOBAL JUSTICE NOW CAMPAIGN FOR A FOSSIL FUEL NON‑PROLIFERATION TREATY

 

The Committee acceded to a deputation request from Mike Barile of Global Justice Dundee and Sandy Winterbottom of North Sea Knitters. Thereafter, having heard the deputation, questions and answers, the deputation were thanked for their attendance and withdrew from the meeting.

 

This item had been placed on the agenda at the request of the Convener who will ask the Committee to agree to:-

 

That the Convener of the Climate, Environment and Biodiversity Committee brings the campaign to the attention of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and writes to the First Minister, in his capacity as one of the five co-chairs of the Under 2 Coalition, to continue to maintain the pressure to deliver just decarbonisation pathways both nationally and globally.

 

Thereafter, the Committee resolved as follows:-

 

Dundee City Council Endorse the Global Justice Now campaign for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

 

Dundee is formally recognised by the Carbon Disclosure Project as one of 119 Cities across the world exercising bold leadership and transparency in tackling climate change. With the support of Dundee Climate Leadership Group, Dundee City Council is also one of the first local authorities in Scotland to submit a Local Area Energy Plan to the Scottish Government, outlining the citys pathway to transition from fossil fuel dependency to a decarbonised energy source by 2045.

 

Dundee City Council fully recognises that demand for fossil fuel energy sources must reduce and that there must be a Just Energy Transition to renewable, decarbonised energy production. At present, the vast majority of the citys domestic and non-domestic properties rely on natural gas as their primary energy source. The transition from fossil-fuels will require energy efficiency interventions in most of these properties over the coming decades, but this investment will improve living standards, reduce fuel poverty, increase our resilience to more extreme climate events and create employment in the city for the decades to come.

 

Dundee City Council therefore welcomes the work Global Justice Now has undertaken in campaigning for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and endorse the campaign.

 

We ask the Committee to agree that the Convener of the Climate Environment and Biodiversity Committee brings the campaign to the attention of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and writes to the First Minister, in his capacity, as one of the five co-chairs of the Under 2 Coalition, to continue to maintain the pressure to deliver just decarbonisation pathways both nationally and globally.

 

III NET ZERO TRANSITION PLAN PROGRESS 2024

 

There was submitted Report No 4-2025 by the Executive Director of City Development, informing of progress of the Net Zero Transition Plan 2024/2030 in its first year of implementation, including establishing governance, monitoring and reporting procedures and progress on emissions targets and actions, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to note progress on Dundee City Councils Net Zero Transition Plan 2024/2030 in its first year of implementation and the plans that were now in place to support the Councils transition to Net Zero; and

 

(ii) to remit the Executive Director of City Development to explore funding for measures to address the top sources of the Councils emissions and deliver the necessary interventions.

 

 

 

 

Heather ANDERSON, Convener.