Denbighshire climate change strategy approved by council

A plan to tackle climate and ecological change has been approved by Denbighshire County Council.

In 2019 the council declared a climate change and ecological emergency which included a commitment to make the authority net carbon zero by 2030, enhance biodiversity across the county and produce a clear plan to guide the work.

The council’s Climate and Ecological Change Strategy, which covers the years 2021/22 – 2029/30, sets out how the authority aims to become Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive by 2030.

The strategy includes targets to reduce the council’s carbon emissions from a range of sources, including a 50 per cent reduction from the energy and water used in council owned buildings, as well as targets to increase the amount of carbon absorbed by the land the council owns at the same time as creating more diverse habitats for plants and wildlife.

The work has been guided by the Climate Change and Ecological Emergency Working Group, set up as part of the emergency declaration, and is made up of two representatives from each political party represented in the council and the two Lead Members for climate and ecological change.

Llangollen councillor Graham Timms, the council’s Climate Change and Ecological Emergency Working Group Chair, said: “I’m delighted the strategy has been approved by full council. 

"The strategy sets out what we mean by the goals net carbon zero and ecologically positive council, how the council is currently performing on both, what we hope 2030 will look like for the council having achieved our goals and the changes and actions we hope to deliver over the next nine years.”

Cllr Brian Jones, the council’s Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “This is another positive step for the Council in its work to protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.

“We have already achieved a lot, we have reduced carbon emissions from our buildings and fleet by 15 per cent since 2017, the Council now only uses renewable electricity for its own buildings after switching to a renewable only energy provider for its schools, leisure centres, libraries, council offices and depots and we are over halfway to reaching our target of planting 18,000 trees by 2022.”

* You can read the strategy online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/climate-change