ACT has put together an information and resources pack designed to help councils work with their communities to reduce carbon emissions, protect the environment and achieve carbon neutrality.
The launch of the pack follows the two workshops ACT convened in February to facilitate a discussion among councillors on the challenges we all face in taking effective climate action and to exchange ideas on how to tackle those challenges.
The resources pack contains:
- An overview offering guidelines on declaring an emergency and developing an action plan
- An explanation of why it is a climate emergency, what are the consequences of a changing climate, what we can do, and setting emissions targets
- A guide to what local councils can do, including ideas on community engagement and how to put climate and ecological considerations at the heart of councils’ statutory responsibilities
- Ideas for actions councils can take to measure and reduce emissions within the built environment and primary energy generation
- A section on food, farming and forestry plus ecology, looking at encouraging local food production, involving farmers in improving carbon sequestration, extending tree cover, and how to help wildlife
- A section on transport, noting it is the biggest source of carbon emissions in Teignbridge (51%) and highlighting possible actions to remedy that.
The pack also advises that ACT’s topic groups can help with information, guidance and signposting once a council has chosen its first initiative in a particular area.
The pack will evolve over time and ACT welcomes feedback and input. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute.
You can view and download pack documents here:
https://actionclimateteignbridge.org/oldsite/index.php/resources-pack-for-town-and-parish-councils/