Building a Greener Guildford: GBC Stresses Its Commitment To Tackling Climate Change

Published on: 12 Nov, 2025
Updated on: 20 Nov, 2025

GBC’s vision is to achieve Net Zero by 2030

With the COP 30 climate summit now up and running in Brazil, Guildford Borough Council has issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to tackling climate change. The council’s message is that this may be a global problem – but local actions can make a difference.

The summit’s first theme is energy, industry and transport, with an emphasis on decarbonising key sectors. GBC says it is already delivering on this ambition locally through a number of different projects, aligned with the council’s vision to becoming Net Zero by 2030.

The council says it has made significant strides in the adoption of clean energy. It has installed photovoltaic panels on public buildings, saving approximately 90 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, and fitted 150 air source heat pumps in its housing stock.

Outlining its work, the GBC statement said: “The council is investing in sustainable travel through its development of a long-term transport strategy. It has developed discounted parking schemes for motorists with EV vehicles and has also provided support for active travel infrastructure.”

Since declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019, Guildford Borough Council says it has:

Adopted a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan, with over 300 actions listed
Reduced its carbon footprint by 13% from the 2019 baseline
Embedded sustainability into the Council’s Corporate Strategy
Partnered with community groups such as Zero Carbon Guildford to drive grassroots engagement.

Cllr Catherine Houston: “Real change happens locally”

Cllr Catherine Houston, Lead Councillor for Climate Change and Leisure at GBC, said: “COP 30 is a global moment and a vital one in the fight against the Climate Emergency, but the real change happens locally.

“I’m proud that Guildford is leading by example: transforming how we power our buildings, move around our borough and build for the future. Our residents, businesses and partners are key to this journey and together we’re working to create a cleaner, greener Guildford for all.”

As COP 30 continues, the council is encouraging people to get involved, whether that’s through considering changing to renewables, using more sustainable transport or joining local climate initiatives. “Together we can turn ambition into action,” says the council.

This year’s UN Climate Change Conference is running until Friday, November 21. It brings together world leaders, non-government organisations, businesses, scientists and climate activists to accelerate action toward goals on climate change. One notable non-attendee is Donald Trump. On his first day back in office, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, the 2015 UN treaty under which nations agreed to work together to try to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

That’s why one leading researcher said this week: “It’s more important than ever that this COP sends some kind of signal to the world that there are still governments and businesses and institutions that are acting on climate change.”