Following the ‘Trump II’ era in the United States, and right-wing populist parties growing influence in councils in Europe and Australia, a number of councils’ Climate Emergency Declarations have faced a backlash in 2025.
In the late 2010s, local governments worldwide began “declaring a climate emergency” to signal urgency in addressing climate breakdown. Between 2016 and 2020, this movement spread rapidly – by 2025 over 2,300 jurisdictions in 40 countries had declared a climate emergency, together representing more than 1 billion citizens.
In the United Kingdom alone, around 96 per cent of the population today lives in areas where their local councils – over 600 of them – have declared a climate emergency. These declarations are typically non-binding resolutions that acknowledge the climate emergency and commit councils to develop action plans, often with targets like net-zero emissions by 2035. The global campaign successfully put climate action on the local agenda.
However, since early 2025 a new trend has emerged: a handful of councils are now rescinding or reviewing their climate emergency declarations.
This comes amid shifting political winds, most notably a new US administration under President Trump taking office in January 2025 with a strongly anti-climate stance, combined with local budget pressures.
Below we overview some notable cases in Australia, the UK, and North America where councils have backtracked on climate emergency statements, and examine what motivated these reversals.
It is now roughly five years since numerous UK councils adopted their first five-year climate emergency response plan, which means that many are now working on or adopting new ones. And it is not all backsliding. In Chichester, for instance, the council has launched its five‑year Climate Emergency Action Plan 2025–2030, officially approved by full council on 15 July 2025. Overall, the plan shifts focus from the council’s own emissions to empowering the wider community – households, businesses, schools, and landowners – to drive meaningful carbon reductions in the district.
Councils rescinding or reviewing Climate Emergency Declarations
Australia
Port Macquarie-Hastings in New South Wales – One of the first councils to ever rescind a climate emergency declaration was Port Macquarie-Hastings. The council had declared a climate emergency in March 2021, but after local elections it voted 7–2 in February 2022 to revoke the declaration. The motion to rescind was led by Councillor Sharon Griffiths and supported by Mayor Peta Pinson, who argued that focusing on climate was a “misuse of council resources” and not the role of local government. They contended council should prioritise core services like fixing roads and flood damage over what they saw as global issues beyond local control. Notably, Mayor Pinson questioned the legitimacy of declaring an “emergency,” claiming even federal government had no legislative power to do so. Local climate activists protested the move as “one giant leap backwards” for the community. It’s important to note that while Port Macquarie-Hastings rescinded the symbolic emergency declaration, the council kept its climate action framework in place – they merely removed the word “emergency” from their Climate Change Response Policy, and affirmed that their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts would continue regardless.
Mornington Peninsula Shire in Victoria – A more recent case in Australia occurred on 22 April 2025, when the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council narrowly voted (6–5) to rescind its climate emergency declaration and the associated Climate Emergency Plan.
This came as a surprise because the Shire had originally declared a climate emergency unanimously back in 2019 and invested significantly in climate programs – about $11.7 million AUD over three years, including staff wages.
The repeal was spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Paul Pingiaro, who insisted the move was “not about denying or dismissing climate change” but about financial accountability – ensuring every dollar spent achieves “tangible, measurable” outcomes. Pingiaro and supporters of the motion raised concerns that some climate projects were “expense without delivery,” citing examples like a $534,000 urban forest plan with no trees yet planted, and money spent on a weather-station pilot that yielded little community benefit. They argued for folding climate actions into a “practical” framework where each initiative is justified case-by-case rather than having a broad emergency mandate.
Opponents on council, however, condemned the decision. Councillor Michael Stephens warned that revoking the declaration could fragment and stall climate action, saying the 2019 emergency plan was more than a symbol – it provided an integrated roadmap that ensured accountability for climate initiatives. Others noted the Shire’s climate programs had strong community support and were already yielding benefits like energy savings and infrastructure resilience. Environmental groups like the Mornington Peninsula Climate Action Network blasted the rescission as done hastily “without community consultation” and feared it signaled a step backwards, driven in part by a few councillors’ fixation on “wasteful” spending.
Here we see the financial motive intertwined with political ideology – critics suspect the talk of fiscal prudence masked a lack of commitment to robust climate action. At the same time, the council’s leadership claims they will remain engaged on climate issues but with a more “outcomes-focused” approach rather than an “emergency” lens.
The council’s decision to drop its climate emergency declaration came despite local climate impacts like recurrent flooding. Mornington’s deputy mayor argued for focusing on “practical” measures, while others fear the move will undermine long-term climate readiness.
United Kingdom
Durham County Council in England – In mid-2025, Durham made national headlines as the first UK local authority to formally rescind its climate emergency declaration. The declaration had originally been adopted in 2019 by the then Labour-led council. However, local elections in May 2025 brought an overwhelming majority for the Reform UK party (a right-wing party), and the new leadership wasted little time in overturning the climate stance.
In July 2025, the Reform-controlled council voted to scrap the 2019 climate emergency statement – a move condemned by opposition councillors as “a very dark day” for County Durham. The council’s Reform leader and supporters offered a mix of justifications. They immediately replaced the climate emergency with a declaration of a “social care emergency,” implying that resources and attention should shift to issues like health and social services.
During a heated debate, Reform councillors derided the climate emergency as “expensive virtue-signalling tripe” and a “feel-good” policy that would make residents “colder and poorer.” One councillor even invoked climate-dismissive arguments – noting that Romans grew grapes in Britain 2,000 years ago during a warm period, and suggesting today’s climate change is nothing new. Others brought up ideologically charged claims, such as accusing proponents of climate action of supporting “child slave labour” due to the mining of lithium and manufacturing of solar panels in other countries. This rhetoric mirrors talking points often seen in climate-skeptic and far-right circles, indicating an underlying political motive to reject mainstream climate science and policy.
Opposition members in Durham countered that climate action actually delivers financial benefits and is not at odds with social care. A Liberal Democrat councillor highlighted that the council’s climate programs had saved over £13 million in the last year – e.g. through energy efficiency – and attracted external funding, money that ultimately helps the budget and can support services like social care.
Greens and Lib Dems warned that abandoning climate efforts would cost more in the long run and does not reflect public sentiment. They pointed out that an estimated 80 per cent of the public recognises the climate emergency and wants action, even if Durham’s new administration does not.
Nonetheless, the Reform majority pushed the repeal through. The Durham case is a clear example of an anti-climate political shift driving a rescind decision – financial arguments were used (claims of saving taxpayers from expense), but the debate was heavily laden with climate-change skepticism and even mockery of “net-zero goals”. One Reform councillor referenced “China belching out coal more than Sauron’s Mordor” to downplay local action. The episode has drawn national attention in the UK, with many climate advocates worried this could set a precedent for other councils if similar political forces gain power.
Wiltshire Council in England – Following Durham’s lead, councillors from Reform UK have now turned their attention to Wiltshire Council, which declared a climate crisis in 2019 and set net-zero targets shortly thereafter. In July 2025, local Reform UK representatives announced they would be urging Wiltshire Council to overturn its climate crisis declaration and abandon its net-zero commitments at an upcoming council meeting. A Reform UK spokesperson characterised the climate declaration as excessive and economically damaging, aligning with the party’s national stance against net-zero policies.
While many UK councils are now updating their original 5 year plans, this effort is part of a broader campaign by Reform UK to roll back what it calls “unaffordable” and “virtue-signalling” climate measures at the local level. At the time of writing, Wiltshire Council has not yet voted on the motion, but climate advocates in Wiltshire are already mobilising to defend the declaration and maintain momentum on climate action. Like in Durham, this case reflects how political shifts and budget concerns are being leveraged to challenge existing climate policies under the guise of fiscal responsibility and skepticism about climate science.
Pembrokeshire County Council in Wales – In Wales, no council has outright canceled its climate emergency declaration yet, but Pembrokeshire County Council is actively reconsidering its commitment. Pembrokeshire declared a climate emergency in May 2019, joining the initial wave of councils responding to the Welsh Government’s call for action. Now, six years later – in July 2025 – Pembrokeshire’s councillors backed a motion to review that decision. The review was proposed by Councillor Mike Stoddart and takes the form of a politically-balanced working group tasked with scrutinising the impacts of the climate emergency declaration.
Crucially, the stated motivation is financial: the motion explicitly cites “the turbulence in global financial markets,” the strain on UK public finances, the council’s projected budget gap, and even the UK government’s recent softening of climate policies, e.g. delaying targets for electric vehicles and heat pumps as reasons to revisit the 2019 pledge. The working group will examine several questions, such as whether pursuing the climate emergency goals has increased local taxes or diverted funds from anti-poverty efforts, the cost of decarbonising council housing stock – whether that impedes building new housing – and generally whether the climate actions have tangibly reduced climate risks.
In council debate, proponents of the review echoed a sentiment that is becoming common: “lofty [climate] goals” were set without the money to back them, and given current budget pressures the council must be more cautious.
The motion to launch this review passed overwhelmingly, reflecting a broad concern about balancing climate initiatives with immediate fiscal responsibilities. Some councillors noted that authorities across England and Wales are starting to ask similar questions, implying Pembrokeshire is not alone in this reconsideration. It’s worth noting that this is, so far, just a review – Pembrokeshire has not scrapped its climate emergency declaration yet, but this process could lead to watering down its climate action plan or even revoking the emergency status in the future.
The intertwining of financial concerns and political signals is clear here too: leaders point to tighter budgets and also take cues from higher levels of government that are retreating from earlier climate commitments. Climate advocates in Wales worry that if one council downgrades its climate commitment, it could open the door for others to follow, especially under economic stress.
North America
In the United States and Canada, dozens of cities and counties have declared climate emergencies in recent years, but we are now seeing signs of pushback and even backtracking at the local level, aligning with the broader political shift in 2025.
An example comes from Calgary, Canada, where a climate emergency declaration was passed in November 2021. Calgary’s declaration – spearheaded by then-Councillor, now Mayor, Jyoti Gondek – was initially supported by a large majority of the council, but it has since faced significant opposition from a vocal minority and external groups.
By 2023–2024, conservative-aligned organisations were campaigning to rescind Calgary’s climate emergency declaration and its linked Net Zero plan, arguing it was too costly and unnecessary. This culminated in an open letter and petition by climate-skeptic activists demanding the city roll back its climate commitments. Inside the council, a couple of councillors regularly raised alarm about the supposed expense of climate action.
Notably, one councillor repeatedly cited a “$87 billion” price tag for Calgary’s Climate Strategy to stoke public fear – a figure that grossly misrepresents the plan’s actual costs. In reality, that number was an estimate of cumulative investments by all stakeholders through 2050 for a net-zero scenario, not a single-city spending figure, as city staff have patiently explained.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek and others have pushed back against this misinformation – emphasising that Calgary does not have an $87B climate plan and calling out the spread of such false claims as harmful “disinformation.” Nonetheless, the constant repetition of exaggerated costs has influenced public discourse and given climate action opponents a populist talking point. The political atmosphere since early 2025 – with a climate-skeptic U.S. President in office – has arguably emboldened these local opponents.
Mayor Gondek, in a recent interview, described a growing “blowback to climate emergency statements” in which local leaders face organised resistance and even personal political threats – such as a recall petition against her – for championing climate action. While Calgary’s City Council has not rescinded its climate emergency declaration, the pressure has forced the council to defend and clearly justify its climate initiatives in the face of skepticism.
Similar dynamics are playing out in parts of the U.S.: for example, some conservative county commissioners and city councils, inspired by national rhetoric, have started questioning or openly rejecting climate emergency language, even if formal rescission votes haven’t yet occurred in high-profile cases.
The North American experience so far illustrates that strong climate policies at the local level are encountering increased politicisation and pushback, with opponents often using budget fears as a proxy for climate denial.
Sources
Australia
→ ABC News – 17 February 2022:
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council revoke climate change emergency declaration
“The newly-elected council of the Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA has revoked its climate change emergency declaration amid protest from climate activists.”
→ Sydney Morning Herald – 23 April 2025:
Mornington Peninsula council scraps climate emergency plan
“A coastal Victorian council in a high erosion risk zone has scrapped its climate emergency declaration and plan after a controversial split vote on Tuesday night.”
→ Mornington Peninsula Shire – 24 April 2025:
Council Refocuses Climate Action on Tangible Local Outcomes
“The decision, made at Tuesday night’s Council Meeting, concludes the Climate Emergency Declaration and associated Climate Emergency Plan (CEP), and replaces them with a renewed focus on practical, community-focused climate initiatives that align with Council’s core responsibilities.”
. . .
United Kingdom
→ BBC News – 18 September 2025:
Council rescinds climate change emergency declaration
“Kent County Council has rescinded its declaration of a climate emergency. The motion was proposed by Reform UK members after the party took control in May’s local elections.”
→ The Guardian – 17 July 2025:
Reform-led Durham county council scraps climate emergency declaration
“Durham is thought to be first UK local authority to rescind its statement, in a move condemned as a ‘very dark day’.”
→ Nation Cymru – 18 July 2025:
2019 climate change declaration by council to be reviewed
“A call to review a council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.”
→ Rayo – 20 July 2025:
Reform UK declares war on Wiltshire Council’s climate crisis declaration
“A climate crisis was declared by the Council in 2019. Councillors from Reform UK will be urging Wiltshire Council to overturn its climate crisis declaration and net zero targets at a meeting next week.”
→ The Argus – 21 July 2025:
Chichester: New climate emergency action plan launched
“A new climate emergency action plan has been launched to drive environmental change in Chichester.”
. . .
USA
→ Real Talk Ryan Jespersen – 26 March 2024:
Does Jyoti Gondek Regret Declaring A Climate Emergency?
Youtube shorts video
. . .
Canada
→ Livewire Calgary – 22 January 2025:
Does the City of Calgary have an $87 billion climate strategy? ‘No, we do not.’
“Nearly four years later, and multiple efforts to clarify, some councillors are still trotting out the misinformed $87 billion climate emergency declaration cost for a sound bite. It happened once again during Tuesday’s Executive Committee meeting as councillors discussed the Clean Energy Investment Program.”