Our Declaration

We declared a climate and ecological emergency on 26 June, 2019 to draw attention to the urgent need for effective action to reduce carbon emissions and reverse the decline in biodiversity in Swale.

In 2025, the Council revised our targets and published the 2025 Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan.

The Carbon Trust produced a report on the Council’s carbon footprint that has acted as the basis for the Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan 2020, setting out the steps that need to be taken to achieve net zero across our own estate.

Our declaration

Achieving net-zero in our operations

Most organisations categorise their emissions by scope. This makes it easier to identify where emissions are coming from, and control the sources.

Scope 1 and scope 2 emissions  are those which are directly in our control, and relate to our staff business travel, electricity, and purchased heat and cooling. These will be easier to  target through direct measures, meaning that we can set an ambitious target of 2035 for these scopes.

Scope 3 emissions are those which are not directly related to the Council, but instead from the businesses that we purchase goods and services from. Although the Council has influence through our procurement methods, this aspect of net-zero will rely on wider decarbonisation of our supply chains through strong policy from central government.

Achieving net-zero for the borough

In reviewing data on regional emissions, it became clear that the 2019 target of net-zero by 2030 for Swale was unattainable. The new action plan has set a revised target of 2045 for the borough achieving net-zero, which is still ahead of national and international targets.

The Council emits only 0.4% of the boroughs emissions, and as such the 2025 CEE Action Plan changes our view outwards and focuses on the changes we need to see across our communities to effectively deal with climate change and create a healthy, resilient borough. The actions are centred around 7 key focus areas:

How will this affect me?

We all need to work to keep global warming below 1.5 °C to prevent  disastrous effects both globally, and in our local area. In Kent, the effects of climate change will be experienced through:

• High temperatures
• Flooding and coastal change
• More storms and heavy rainfall
• Drought
• Soil erosion
• Sea level rise  by up to 0.3m by 2040 and 0.8m by 2080

This will likely be felt through warmer wetter winters and hotter drier summers, with an increase in average summer temperature of 2-3°C by 2040 and 5-6°C by 2080.

Click here to use the BBC tool to see how different climate warming scenarios will affect weather systems in Swale.

This is can result in:

• The loss or reduction of agricultural land
• Overheating in homes and public buildings
• Excess summer deaths
• Flooding of homes and businesses
• Disruption on the travel and transportation networks
• Plant and animal diseases
• Risks to health, wellbeing, productivity and infrastructure from high temperatures

More information can be found on KCC Kent’s changing climate page.

What is climate change?

Climate change is the change in the earth’s climate due to the increase in greenhouse gases as a result of human activity. Greenhouses gases trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere resulting in global warming.

Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history and the trend is accelerating.

We’re seeing real impact, with the 20 warmest summers on record (according to the World Meteorological Organization) occurring in the last 22 years and the top four in the past four years.

The greenhouse gas most people have heard of is carbon dioxide, which is produced by the burning of fossil fuels - used in your car, to heat your home, to produce your food, to create the plastics in everyday products and so much more. You can calculate your carbon footprint to find out how your lifestyle creates carbon emissions, but also how you can help reduce your impact through everyday simple steps.

You can read more about calculating your carbon footprint.

What is the ecological emergency?

Our declaration recognises the commitment to make space for nature as a key priority, safeguarding wild spaces, ancient woodlands and hedgerows. The main challenge we are facing is a loss of biodiversity. Natural ecosystems are integral to the food chains we depend on, as well as ensuring amazing creatures don’t face extinction. For example, plastic litter results in micro-plastics making their way into our water systems - and ultimately our bodies!

Our local ecology also plays a part in naturally regulating climate change - trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.