Belfast City Council has vowed to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy in a vote to declare a climate emergency in the city.
The motion, which was put forward by West Belfast People Before Profit councillor Matt Collins, was supported by all parties at Tuesday's meeting.
In it he called for the formation of a multi-agency climate emergency team as well as the expansion of public transport and assurances all new buildings would be eco-friendly.
Mr Collins welcomed the support, saying: "It means moving immediately away from fossil fuels, prioritizing green space, public transport and declaring a climate emergency."
The city, which is the latest to add its name to a list of councils to declare a climate emergency, has also agreed to call on both the UK and Irish governments, as well as other councils to acknowledge the threat.
It comes just 10 days after thousands took to Belfast's streets to call for real and meaningful action on the climate crisis.
Mr Collins added: "The debate about climate change should be long over and climate change deniers are fools
"We face an existential threat to our planet and to humanity, and we must act now to thwart the worst effects of catastrophic climate change. That means Belfast City Council doing everything in its power to champion people and planet before profit.
"To paraphrase the great James Connolly, our demands are most modest, we only want to save the earth."
The motion:
"Council congratulates the Extinction Rebellion movement and other activists, who have recently protested in Belfast and across the world, in order to highlight the threat of catastrophic climate change. Council recognises this as one of the greatest threats facing citizens in Belfast, and believes that urgent action must be taken in Belfast and globally in order to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. This motion calls on Belfast City Council to immediately declare a “Climate Emergency."
"Belfast City Council also urges other local Councils to follow suit, and calls on both British and Irish governments to also declare a climate emergency. Such a call aims to see Belfast move away from fossil fuels and fully toward renewable energy sources. This initiative would see this Council doing everything it can to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions, including, for example, ensuring that all new buildings are ecologically friendly, that the retrofitting of homes is a priority, and that public transport is expanded. Council will immediately establish a multi-agency team across the city, which should include various governmental departments, political parties and other relevant agencies, to ensure that tackling the causes of climate change is an immediate priority."
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