What did we do to address the climate emergency in 2022?

At the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee on 21 February 2023, councillors were presented with the annual update on our Climate Emergency Action Plan. We made significant progress with these plans in 2022, and our partnership with our communities made it a very productive year of climate action across Richmond upon Thames.

A good example is Richmond Clean and Green Week, a celebration of community action designed and hosted in collaboration with over 40 local groups in late September. More than 500 attendees took part in a programme of 34 events and activities, ranging from paddleboarding litter picks and energy saving webinars to sustainability story time at a local library. 

We have continued to strengthen how we work with other local authorities across London to reduce our collective carbon footprint, with Richmond leading the plastics workstream of the One World Living Programme, one of London Councils’ seven climate programmes to reduce London’s consumption emissions by two thirds by 2030.

Our efforts were recognised internationally as we were named one of 122 cities and towns across the globe to receive an A-rating from CDP, a not-for-profit global charity that monitors environmental impacts and reports on climate change, for taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency. We were highlighted as an area of best practice by CDP for our commitment to adapting our borough to a changing climate. We are very pleased to be included in the CDP’s Cities A List for 2022, particularly because we know how important it is to be transparent about our climate action, track progress, monitor risks and benchmark against other places facing similar challenges.

The report presented to the Committee last night provides a detailed update on the actions delivered by the Council in 2022, as well as the focus for the next year. The Action Plan is an important on-going working document that ensures work is focused on the key areas of our response to the Climate Emergency, not just on our Committee but across the whole Council.

Our Climate Emergency Strategy has five main areas of focus. I am pleased to outline some of the key things we have achieved in the past year within each of these areas.

Our legacy

• We supported development and delivery of five projects through the Richmond Climate Youth Fund, to allow more young people the opportunity to get involved in climate action. We also launched an online Climate Change Resource Hub for schools, providing practical advice on incorporating climate change into the curriculum.
• We supported residents on lower incomes to make their home more energy efficient through the Green Homes Grant, facilitating energy improvements to 130 homes. 
• We rolled out an electric cargo bike scheme, which now has 172 members with 420km travelled since summer 2022. Following a resident consultation, 12 cargo and adapted cycle parking bays will be installed outside primary schools across the borough.
• In response to the Cost of Living Crisis, we have given extra support to local partners like the South West London Energy Advice Partnership (SWLEAP), which will enable an additional 200 home visits including minor energy efficiency improvements and energy advice via outreach and phone consultation.
• Delivery of 140 lamp column charging points for electric vehicles is currently under way. There are a total of 431 publicly accessible electric vehicle charge points on the borough’s public highway.

Our waste

• We have rolled out our food recycling collection service to a further 3,300 properties, installed 11 new textiles recycling sites, and trialled mega skips to help address fly tipping and enable further engagement with residents on re-use and recycling.
• We have continued to lead the project on Encouraging the Circular Economy across West London, helping to highlight local businesses and projects, like the Richmond Furniture Scheme and the Refill Larder in Teddington, that help to promote an economy of re-using rather than buying new.
• We worked with the South London Partnership to develop a zero waste map that residents can use to find local businesses, workshops and facilities in their area to refill, re-use and repair rather than buying new. Proposals for a Richmond Library of Things have been developed, with plans to launch in 2023.

Our air

• We have continued our campaign to become an idle-free borough. In 2022, we ran multiple anti-idling events in the community, and traffic wardens asked over 11,000 drivers across the borough to turn off their engines when waiting at level-crossings or doing pick-ups and drop-offs, with all complying. You can sign the pledge to support this campaign.
• Our plans to upgrade and electrify trading sites across the borough, which will allow trade vans and stalls, including ice cream vans, to operate using newly installed electric plug-in points, has made good progress, with all financially viable sites either electrified or in the process of having an electrical point installed.
• We have continued to deliver on our Air Quality Action Plan, which has included improved air monitoring through the implementation of innovative new sensor technology across 45 sites in the borough.
• We have continued our smoke control campaigns for residents and businesses and have joined a committee recently set up by the Greater London Authority to address and raise awareness of in-borough smoke pollution.

Our nature

• We are planting over 700 trees during this planting season and, thanks to watering assistance from local groups, were able to support a record number of young trees through the extreme summer heat. We are working with the Greater London Authority to identify priority areas for tree planting and will be developing a tree planting strategy to inform how we maximise the benefits of our trees.
• We have worked on our Biodiversity Action Plan, in partnership with Habitats & Heritage and other key community groups. Through this work, we have used trail cameras to monitor local wildlife in specific areas of habitat and fed data back into local biodiversity projects.
• We have continued the cultural reforesting programme at Orleans House Gallery, aiming to renew residents’ relationships with nature. In 2023, the aim is to take cultural reforesting across the borough.
• To improve biodiversity, we have left specified areas of grass unmown in eight parks across Richmond during the summer, whilst providing information to residents and park users as to why this is important.

Our resilience

• We undertook climate risk mapping and developed a climate risk assessment tool, to help us identify and understand risks to our communities posed by climate change so we can adapt and target interventions going forward.
• Preparing the borough for flooding and flood risk is a priority, and a new Local Flood Risk Management Strategy has been developed to more robustly manage surface water flood risks and sustainable drainage, as well as groundwater flood risks.
• As part of the government’s new Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, development has continued on the flood resilience project in the Beverley Brook catchment area. This is being developed in partnership with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Barnes Common Limited to modernise flood risk management, increase community preparedness and help restore a more natural watercourse in our urban environment.

As evidenced above, our residents and local groups have also continued to do invaluable work to address climate change. If you want to find out more about some of the projects going on locally and opportunities to get involved yourself, you can subscribe to our monthly climate change newsletter.

If you are interested in getting involved with local climate-related projects or have an idea to help combat our carbon emissions in the borough, please contact our partners at Habitats & Heritage.

My thanks go to the excellent Climate team for their work throughout the year and their help in putting this year’s annual report together.

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