Cornwall Council is calling on the new government to support its work in achieving a carbon neutral Cornwall as it renews its commitment to becoming the first net zero region in the country.
Five years on from declaring a climate emergency and producing an action plan the council is recognised nationally and internationally for its work in leading Cornwall to respond to the impacts of a changing climate.
The unitary authority has achieved some key successes in helping Cornwall cut its greenhouse gas emissions including:
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Promoting green travel through installing 226 additional EV chargers, increasing public transport use through a pilot bus fare programme and introducing public e-bike schemes in six towns;
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Retrofitting and helping lower the emissions of more than 1,200 homes with plans for installing green measures to 520 additional properties;
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Developing a Local Area Energy Plan to expand clean and renewable energy in the region - one of the first rural authorities to do so;
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A new recycling, rubbish and food waste service set to reduce Cornwall's carbon emissions by nearly 18,000 tonnes of CO2 a year;
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Boosting green planning and development through the Climate Emergency Development Document;
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Launching the Forest for Cornwall to capture emissions with a million trees now planted;
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Reducing council emissions by a third since 2019 by adapting council buildings and vehicles, including current work on installing a solar canopy to power a third of the energy used at New County Hall.
The council has also supported the setting up of a new, independent Climate Commission for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to bring the region’s leaders, organisations and communities together to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.
Latest figures show Cornwall’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by more than a fifth since 2008 and dropped by nearly a quarter in 2020 during the pandemic.
But the council notes that the pace of these reductions is insufficient for Cornwall to reach its ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
It is calling on the new government to support Cornwall’s bid to become net zero and looking at the possibility of securing private funding to help achieve its carbon neutral goals.
Cllr Martyn Alvey, Cornwall’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said:
“We remain committed to doing everything within our power as a leading local authority on climate change to respond to the climate and ecological emergencies and the need to adapt to an already changing climate. Since we declared a climate emergency five years ago we have cut our council emissions by nearly a third by adapting our buildings and vehicles to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
“But we cannot tackle climate change for Cornwall alone and we need longer term government support to unlock investment and improve our energy infrastructure so we can look at opportunities to scale up our renewable energy.
“With our new government in place and Cornwall about to become one of the first rural authorities to have a Local Energy Area Plan, we are well placed to act as a demonstrator for the country to show how we can accelerate towards net zero in a rural area.
“We are also continuing to look at emerging models of public and private partnerships in financing net zero transition and the opportunities this could bring for Cornwall’s carbon neutral journey.
“We want to thank everyone for their efforts so far in reducing their carbon footprint which has already made a big impact. Looking forward we all need to remain dedicated to helping lower our emissions as we face the challenges ahead.”
Story posted July 22, 2024