The climate emergency declaration
We are proud to be taking a leading role working with individuals, communities, businesses, and partners across Birmingham to act now on the causes and impacts of climate change.
On 11 June 2019, we declared a climate emergency to:
- recognise that climate change is an existential threat to our current way of life
- make a commitment to act against it
As part of this declaration, we set an ambitious target for the council and city to become net zero carbon by 2030, or as soon as a just transition allows after this date.
This goes beyond the government's 2050 net zero target for the whole of the UK.
Net zero means balancing the amount of emissions we produce with the amount being actively removed from the atmosphere.
Alongside our net zero commitment, in 2024, we formally pledged our support for the Climate and Ecology Bill. This is a plan for a new UK law that addresses the full climate and nature crisis in line with the most up-to-date science. Importantly, this proposed law would bring the UK’s emissions targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and commit the UK to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.
You can find more information about council and city emissions in our Route to Net Zero Annual Report and Climate Change Briefing Book on the City Observatory website.
Page last updated: 14 April 2026
