Like many other councils around the country, in 2019 Ealing Council declared a climate emergency, and in 2021, released its Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy. Every two years, the council releases a report which sets out the progress made against the different targets set out in the strategy, and which also indicates the continued direction of travel.
The second of these progress reports was released recently for 2025, and confirms that a lot of work has been going on in Ealing both to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and to provide increased resilience against the effects of climate change : effects like hotter, drier summers, wetter winters, increased risk of flooding, and increased food prices. While mitigation against climate change has been the focus of climate action to date, adaptation against the effects of climate change will be increasingly going forward.
Despite the challenges posed by climate change, the progress reports notes the opportunities for climate action to create a better standard of living “by improving health, reducing bills and creating a more pleasant and greener borough”. Impacts that can be measured in some key targets such as Healthier Lives, Comfortable Spaces, Greener Borough, Improved Financial Resilience, Good Jobs, and better Social Connection.
The full report can be accessed here on the council’s website. You can also check how Ealing Council is doing in comparison with other councils around the United Kingdom by using the Council Climate Scorecard’s website, which independently assesses and rate individual council’s responses to the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Some highlights of the report and some key statistics are set out below – since 2021:
- Ealing has the largest deployment of solar power in west London
- 19 schools are saving over £50000 per year on energy bills through community owned solar power
- Carbon Emissions per capita dropping off from 6.5 per capita in 2005 to around 3 in 2022 (in line with the outer London average).
- 150 bike hangers have been installed on streets around the borough
- 1081 electric charging points have been installed
- 43 school streets (schemes to improve air quality around schools) have been introduced
- Over 40,000 trees have been planted
- Over 1km hedgerows have been established
- A community beaver project has been delivered at Paradise Fields. This has already demonstrated a reduction in local flooding due to more water being retained in the beaver engineer habitat.
- Creation of a 575 hectare regional park.
- The Library of Things has been established in Ealing, with over 900 items already borrowed.
- Pop-up refill programmes are taking place at 7 schools
- At least 19 events already held at Acton Reuse and Recycle
Summary
The Council Climate Scorecard website notes that “according to the Climate Change Committee’s Local Authorities and the Sixth Carbon Budget Report, ‘More than half of the emissions cuts needed rely on people and businesses taking up low-carbon solutions – decisions that are made at a local and individual level”.
And also that “Many of these decisions depend on having supporting infrastructure and systems in place. Local authorities have powers or influence over roughly a third of emissions in their local areas’.”
In other words, people and business have a huge role to play, with the support of the council and local community organisations. If this makes you want to get involved with activities in the borough that address climate change and make the borough a greener, more pleasant, more resilient community, then take a look at the local organisations already in your area who are volunteering.
Links:
Ealing Council 2025 Progress Report is available here.
Council Climate Scorecards is available here.
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