​The world faces a climate catastrophe unless we accelerate the rate of carbon abatement over the next twelve years. Oxford City Council seeks to bring every viewpoint into our decision-making to build a majority for dealing with climate change. In September 2019 Oxford will host the first-ever citizens assembly by a UK council for dealing with climate change. Once citizens have made their recommendations, councillors will consider the trade-offs needed to implement them, and set an ambitious, evidence-based target date for becoming a zero carbon council and city. At the same time, the Council has stepped up its work, announcing carbon reduction initiatives totalling £81m. This includes installing one of the world’s biggest batteries to support electric vehicle charging and low-carbon heat networking, and creating a ‘smart grid’ to empower residents to become active energy citizens.