Greater Manchester to hold Mayor’s Green Summit

THE Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has today announced his ambitions for making Greater Manchester one of the leading green cities in Europe.

To deliver this, he is announcing a landmark Green Summit to be held in spring 2018. This will be led by an expert panel of some of the brightest environmental minds in the UK, including academics and researchers from the University of Manchester. Members of the public will also be able to contribute views and ideas through an extensive public engagement process.

Andy said: “Today is an important day, not only for the people of Greater Manchester, but their children, grandchildren and generations to come.

“I want to bring people together to debate if we are doing enough on climate change. By building a low-carbon economy in Greater Manchester, we will put ourselves in a strong position to attract more jobs and investment.

“Greater Manchester absolutely has the knowledge, radical thinking and resources to deliver on this; we’ve a wealth of academic research and practical know-how to tackle this issue head on, if we put our minds to it.”

Leading on this work with Andy is Alex Ganotis, leader of Stockport Council and Greater Manchester’s lead for environmental issues and climate change.

Cllr Ganotis said: “I am incredibly proud to lead this revolutionary project that will transform the lives of people in the city region.

“This will take Greater Manchester to a different level that will rival green cities across the world and make the region much more appealing to prospective investors, doing wonders for the environment and the economy.

“It is very exciting to be working with a panel of experts who will be involved in the public debate to learn the thoughts of both businesses and residents in the region.” 

The panel of experts includes specialists from the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester, environmentalists and businesses, who will lead a public debate on how plans can be developed to achieve carbon neutrality as early as possible.

A public engagement programme will pool together ideas for changing the way we use and generate energy for our homes and workplaces; encouraging more sustainable travel; improving our air quality; making better use of our green spaces; growing our economy; and innovating through low carbon technology.

Today’s announcement took place at One Angel Square in Manchester, home of the Co-op, one of the ‘greenest’, most sustainable buildings in Europe.