A new set of ambitious climate targets are to be discussed by councillors, as Durham County Council prepares to outline its next steps to achieving net zero. On Wednesday 15 June, the local authority’s cabinet meeting will hear a final update on the council’s first Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP1), and details of the next steps to further cut carbon emissions.
Cabinet will then be presented with a new Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP2), outlining further climate actions to be taken from 2022 until 2024. Within CERP2 will be the introduction of new targets, as the council sets out an improved aim to achieve net zero within its own operations by 2030, and net zero by 2045 for countywide emissions.
“Net zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere,” explains the Net Zero Climate website, adding, “It is international scientific consensus that, in order to prevent the worst climate damages, global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050. The term net zero is important because – for CO2 at least – this is the state at which global warming stops.”
Cllr Mark Wilkes, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: “Over the last year we have reviewed all our plans and are putting in place a new proactive plan to tackle climate change in County Durham.
“Our actions so far have secured significant government funding to address climate change. Additional to the environmental benefits, our climate action will help reduce council costs and protect frontline services.”
CERP 1 was adopted by the council in February 2020 and set out over 100 projects to help achieve previous targets of reducing council emissions by 80 per cent by 2030 and make County Durham carbon neutral by 2050.
Significant progress has been made on the award-winning plan through low carbon initiatives.
They include retrofit works at public buildings such as Abbey Leisure Centre and an £8 million project to turn the council’s Morrison Busty Depot into a low carbon site, featuring a solar farm, battery storage and heat pumps.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
