Boyle, Mark and Crone, Stephen and Endfield, Georgina and Jarvis, Susan and McClelland, Andrew (2020) Cities and the climate and ecological emergency: The Liverpool City Region response. Journal of Urban Regeneration & Renewal, 13 (46). pp. 365-379. ISSN 1752-9646

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Abstract

In May 2019, Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram declared a ‘climate emergency’ and affirmed his commitment to undertaking proportionate remediating actions. The Metro Mayor has set his sights on LCR becoming net zero-carbon by 2040; local authorities and anchor institutions from the public, private and third sectors have likewise set net zero-carbon targets by or before In May 2019, Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram declared a ‘climate emergency’ and affirmed his commitment to undertaking proportionate remediating actions. The Metro Mayor has set his sights on LCR becoming net zero-carbon by 2040; local authorities and anchor institutions from the public, private and third sectors have likewise set net zero-carbon targets by or before 2040. The 2040 target will undoubtedly prove difficult to meet. This paper locates the LCR response within the context of the wider global climate and ecological crisis and national UK environmental policy and reflects upon achievements to date and actions which will need to be taken in future. Clearly, ‘business as usual’ will be insufficient and a new politico-institutional dispensation will be required if the net zero-carbon target is to be reached by 2040. An opportunity to undertake deep structural change exists: the COVID-19 pandemic has opened a a global debate on how best to Build Back Better. But what any new social contract for sustainability and a just transition might look like remains unclear. This paper concludes by venturing some thoughts on what such a contract might mean for the LCR and its civic leaders.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the postprint version of the published article.
Keywords:	Liverpool City Region (LCR); UK; climate and ecological emergency; environmental policy; net zero-carbon; sustainability transition;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, MUSSI
Item ID:	14711
Depositing User:	Mark Boyle
Date Deposited:	20 Aug 2021 15:12
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Urban Regeneration & Renewal
Publisher:	Henry Stewart Publications
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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