Kingston declared a climate emergency in June 2019 and set a target of borough-wide net zero by 2038. The council's own data shows borough-wide CO2 emissions fell 17% between 2019 and 2023. Council building emissions are down 27-37% depending on the reporting year. But the borough-wide target requires approximately 7% annual reductions from here.
Affects: All 77,000 householdsIn June 2019, Kingston Council declared a climate emergency and committed to making the borough carbon neutral by 2038 — 12 years ahead of the UK's legal target of 2050. The council also set a more ambitious target of net zero in its own operations by 2030.
The council's Climate Action Plan was approved at the Place Committee on 10 March 2022, following the Kingston Climate Conversation consultation in 2021. The plan covers council operations, transport, buildings, waste, and green infrastructure.
According to the council's own emissions summaries:
Climate Emergency UK's 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards found that only 62 of 391 councils scored above 50% overall. Kingston is not alone in facing a gap between ambition and delivery, but its 2038 borough-wide target is more ambitious than most, making the gap more visible.
The next formal progress report is due to the Place Committee in 2026. We are tracking whether the council's borough-wide emissions reduction accelerates toward the roughly 7% annual rate needed, and whether the 2030 council operations target is met.
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