Carbon emissions caused by Staffordshire County Council are falling sharply, the authority has said.
Initiatives designed to get the council to net zero by 2050 have seen emissions drop by 43% since a climate emergency was declared by members in 2019.
Projects already underway include installing solar panels on libraries and at county farms, replacing boilers with low carbon heating solutions, changing street lights to low-energy ones, investing in walking and cycling routes and planting thousands of trees.
Cllr Simon Tagg, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate change, said:
“As a local authority we are only responsible for a small proportion of carbon emissions in the county, but our position allows us to set an example.
“We are already making significant progress and we have a clear plan for the next four years to cut carbon emissions, improve air quality, reduce waste and support people in changing their habits to be more environmentally friendly.”
Cllr Simon Tagg, Staffordshire County Council
The four-year climate action plan includes the development of an electric vehicle strategy, improving the energy efficiency of all council-owned buildings, looking for opportunities to plant more trees and reducing the amount of food and garden waste going into general waste bins.
The council is also looking to change its fleet vehicles to run on alternative fuels as well as planning to work with local bus operators to improve the energy efficiency of public transport across the county.
The Staffordshire Sustainability Board – made up of the county council and eight district and borough councils – is also working to find joint ways of reducing carbon emissions.
“I believe we achieve much more by working together than individually and by working more closely with our local authority colleagues and collaboratively with our residents, communities and businesses, we can all help to make a difference.”
Cllr Simon Tagg, Staffordshire County Council