·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Council has re-affirmed its long-term commitment to tackling the climate emergency and achieving its ambitious net zero emissions targets.
The latest version of the council’s Decarbonisation Plan has been approved and sets out its three-year strategy for tackling the threat of climate change and achieving net zero emissions across ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp.
·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp is a leader in wind and hydro power production and its sparse population, high forest, peatland cover and a low number of polluting sources means it is already one of the lowest net producers of carbon in the UK and almost carbon neutral, far ahead of most other regions.
However, it’s important to build on these foundation. The Decarbonisation Plan sets out how the council will address its own carbon footprint in its day-to-day operations. The plan becomes a reference point in the journey towards being a ‘net zero’ organisation by 2045.
The plan will evolve in future years as the scope widens to include local communities and businesses.
Councillor Robin Currie, Leader of the council, said: “·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp can be proud of the fact that we are leading the way in terms of reducing emissions and exploring how the use of renewable energy such as wind and hydro energy can help tackle climate change.
“A great deal of progress has already been made in delivering the climate pledges in our existing action plan but we now want to build further on what has been achieved. That includes continuing to act to address the carbon footprint of our own business operations and addressing issues such Single Use Plastics.
“No one organisation can tackle this hugely important issue in isolation but the council has taken a lead by making a clear commitment to be a net zero organization by 2045 and our strategy demonstrates our commitment and willingness to work with communities and partners across the region to achieve our targets.â€