Climate change action plan published

Climate change action plan to be published

Eastleigh Borough Council has reaffirmed its existing commitment to tackling the climate crisis by joining other local authorities and institutions in declaring a Climate Change and Environmental Emergency. A new strategy and action plan detailing how the Council will continue to tackle the Climate and Environmental Emergency over the coming months will be published soon.

The Council declared the emergency in July, setting out targets to make its operations carbon neutral by 2025 and support communities and businesses across the Borough to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

The interim action plan is a 30 point list covering areas such as ecology, energy, planning, transport, waste and more. It includes:

• Plans to widen the Borough’s food waste recycling programme; potentially opening the offer to businesses and building an anaerobic digestion facility within the Borough to serve the rest of Hampshire

• Proposal for large scale habitat creation projects that will help to absorb carbon

• Plans to introduce more wildflowers and ‘minimal maintenance’ areas to increase wildlife

• Plans to move the Council Streetscene team vehicles and equipment over to electric and low emission alternatives

• Work with Southern Water to pilot a Green Redeem scheme that rewards positive environmental behaviour

• New strategies on biodiversity, pollution and sustainable transport

• Further measures to protect trees, introduce a tree planting/replacement scheme, including exploring the creation of a ‘local tree nursery’

The Council has a long history of tackling climate change and was awarded Beacon Status for its efforts in 2008. Over the last decade the Council has installed thousands of kWh of renewable energy (generating over 300kWh per year), supported residents and community groups to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, lobbied Government and worked with partners to improve the resilience of the Borough. During this time it has also supported hundreds of households to improve the efficiency of their homes and continued public engagement with schools. The Council’s operational emissions have reduced by over 35% since 2008.

Over a third of Eastleigh’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the lifestyle choices, such as diet, travel, energy use and purchasing. That means that resident’s lifestyle changes really can make a difference.

Cllr Rupert Kyrle, Cabinet Lead of Environment and Chair of the Cross-Party working group on the Climate Change and Environmental Emergency, says: “It is widely acknowledged that climate change is the greatest threat to our planet. It is everyone’s responsibility to do whatever they can to reduce the effects of climate change and to help protect our precious planet, its environment and our wildlife for generations to come.”

Find out more: eastleigh.gov.uk/latestnews