A SOUTHAMPTON MP has hit out at the city council as pressure ramps up on the government to act on climate crisis.

Labour MP for Southampton Test Alan Whitehead has claimed that Southampton's Conservatives "won't even do the bare minimum" the Government is asking in regards to traffic emissions.

However, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen Royston Smith has claimed that the government has "ambitious plans" to tackle climate change.

It comes as the latest global review from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the world will reach or exceed temperature rises of 1.5C – seen as a threshold beyond which the worst impacts of global warming will be felt – over the next two decades.

Without fast, deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, temperature rises in the 21st century will exceed both the 1.5C and a higher, riskier 2C warming limit agreed to by countries in the international Paris climate treaty, it found.

Mr Whitehead said: "This report confirms in prose the picture painted by the fires and floods across the world in recent weeks: that climate breakdown has already begun, that it's accelerating across the globe.

"There is a consensus now and the threat is no longer climate denial but this government's inaction and failure to take transformative measures to reduce emissions.

"Locally the Conservatives in charge of the council won't even do the bare minimum their government is asking of them with regards to reducing emissions from traffic in the city and they have no plans as far as I can tell to be bold when it comes to reducing our city's carbon footprint."

Mr Smith said: "We must take our share of the responsibility in the fight against climate change. The effects are being seen more clearly now than ever before.

"The Government has ambitious plans to put the UK at the forefront of tackling this issue with new policies and legislation which demonstrates our commitment to reducing emissions both at home and globally.

"Currently, the UK accounts for around 1.1 per cent of global emissions compared to China which is responsible for almost 30 per cent.

"We must work to encourage the larger polluters to play their part in the fight against climate change and our leadership of COP26 aims to do this.”

As the report was published, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was clear the next decade was going to be pivotal to securing the future of the planet.

“We know what must be done to limit global warming – consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline,” he said.