A new road map to help tackle climate challenges in the borough has been put in place for the first time since Covid.
The plan will build on the recommendations provided by the community in this year’s Climate Action Report.
“After six years, it’s about time that we refresh our climate action plan,” Councilor Rowena Champion, said at the 10 March Islington Council meeting.
Feedback from different community members will inform the new plan, which will be implemented later this year after review.
Cllr Champion said: “Everyone’s individual experience is different, and we want to get as many people’s experiences as possible.” The Executive Member for Environment and Air Quality said: “That’s how we shape our plan going forward.”
Successes from the first year of operating under a Climate Action Report included the creation of an emergency volunteer network, developing a cool space map, and upgrading greenspaces to include more areas for prayer for Muslim residents.
One of the largest updates highlighted in this year’s public report, was the creation of an Islington Borough Energy Plan. This project aims to decarbonise council buildings and social housing by introducing new low carbon heating upgrades.
The panel also announced that the Islington Community Energy Fund has completed its final round of funding for six projects. This funding will save 34 tonnes of carbon per year. To date, the fund has granted over £760,000 in funding to 59 energy projects across the borough.
We need to deliver collectively to tackle climate change
Tanuja Pandit
Councillor Una O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council, told the meeting: “As a council, we cannot do it on our own. [climate action] is everybody’s responsibility.”
The council encouraged residents to get involved in the many climate-positive groups such as the Islington Fixers who meet and volunteer to repair anyone’s broken items, or one of the Nature Neighbourhoods in the borough that fight to preserve wild areas in Islington.
Tanuja Pandit, chief executive of Power Up North London, said during the meeting that her organization aims to decarbonise community buildings and helps people who are struggling to pay and keep up with their energy bills. She said she hopes that “[the community will] come to us with your challenges so that we can help more of you to deliver the changes we need to deliver, collectively, to tackle climate change.”
Cllr O’Halloran commended the Climate Action panel, saying everyone should work together to address climate change, and reiterated that the council is “committed to keep going and to keep working on the climate.”
Journalist & MA Newspaper Journalism candidate at City, St George’s University of London. After six years in Washington, D.C., I bring a U.S. regional perspective to national and international reporting. My writing spans politics, policy, global affairs, and social issues. I’m passionate about telling stories that cross borders and lift community voices that are often underrepresented in the global conversation.