Councils that use money pressures as "an alibi for inaction" on tackling climate change should be forced by law to act, according to a new report.
Global warming is described as the top long-term priority for local government, but many authorities have failed to draw up their own plans for helping to deal with it, an inquiry commissioned by council chiefs said.
The Government must make it a statutory duty if those organisations fail to introduce carbon-cutting measures within the next two years, warned the Local Government Association's Independent Climate Change Commission.
Local authorities can have a major influence on reducing carbon emissions, in areas such as public transport and housing.
But they are not required at present to spend funds from council tax and government grants on schemes to tackle climate change.
It means that many have favoured spending on those areas of local government in which they do have a statutory duty to spend.
Commission chairman Professor John Chesshire said: "There are some outstanding examples of local council leadership and this report reveals that momentum is now building more widely.
"But many councils still have to put in place appropriate strategies and action plans. Few have systematically built carbon reduction and resilience to climate change into their organisational DNA. A more consistent, authority-wide, response is now required."
Mr Chesshire said individual councils cannot "opt out" of tackling climate change.
He said: "Councils face challenging financial conditions with tough decisions about what services they can afford to invest in, but these pressures cannot be an alibi for inaction. People are entitled to expect council leadership and action on climate change."
