Plans for Climate Change Commission announced
21 Oct 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Northumberland County Council has announced ambitious plans to create a Climate Change Commission.
It comes as the authority unveiled details of its draft action plan, focusing on five key themes, with a number of projects where the council and others will work to tackle climate change.
The Commission would see the council teaming up with world leading experts and industry leaders to make a real difference in our collective responsibility.
This summer the council declared a ‘climate emergency’ - vowing to half its carbon footprint by 2025 and make Northumberland carbon neutral by 2030.
Since 2010 the council has reduced its carbon emissions by a third and the area is now ranked as one of the greenest in the country. However it’s acknowledged it has a significant role to play in further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting its carbon footprint.
At an initial public meeting attendees talked through a number of future proposals from identifying land which can host battery storage to help renewable energy generation through to exploring low carbon heat networks for residents and businesses.
Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Local Services, who chaired the meeting, said: “We’re grateful people took the time to take part in our first meeting and share their views on tackling climate change.
“One of our commitments which we’re very excited about is the creation of a Climate Change Commission which will enable us to work with experts with a wide range of skills to help us achieve our commitments.
“We’ve always stressed this is not an issue just for the council - it’s an issue for every one of us, and it is clear people have some innovative ideas we can all explore as we take our action plan forward.”
Peter Fuller, from Climate Action Network Northumberland (CANN), added: “CANN was delighted to be invited to the public meeting, and very encouraged to hear of the Council’s progress on its Climate Emergency Action Plan.
“This meeting to explain why the plan is necessary and what the Council is doing to tackle the crisis is most welcome. The Council has already achieved much, but must now take the message out to the whole community so we can work together on finding solutions that work for Northumberland.”