Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Head of Service for Finance, Property and Climate Resilience and the Climate and Sustainability Specialist on the Climate Strategy Action Plan.

Cabinet had before it a report * from the Head of Finance, Property & Climate Resilience and the Climate and Sustainability Specialist on the Climate Strategy Action Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change and Climate and Sustainability Specialist outlined the contents of the report with particular reference to the following:

• This was an important milestone for the Council.  The Climate Change Strategy and Climate Action Plan, was a response to the Council declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and the Council’s targets of achieving net zero by 2030.  
• Officers had worked persistently to bring this strategy together.  A Draft Climate Strategy was considered by the Planning, Environment and Sustainability Policy Development Group (PDG) on 26 November 2024 and was now recommended to Cabinet for approval.
• The Strategy was a starting point for engagement with communities, businesses and other partners, to co-create a vision for a sustainable future including the themes and expressed ambitions about the benefits for Mid Devon residents. 
• The Climate Change Strategy was aligned with the Corporate Strategy and with the Devon Carbon Plan, and related to all of the Council’s Policy Development Groups:

-       Planning, Environment and Sustainability- Vibrant landscapes at the heart of Mid Devon.

-       Community, People and Equalities- Climate Resilient Communities.

-       Homes- Healthy Homes.

-       Economy & Assets- Green Growth and Bright Futures.

-       Service Delivery & Continuous Improvement- Sustainable Services and Spending.

• Mid Devon's 2022 territorial carbon footprint, excluding land use change, was 907,684 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The largest climate impacts came from:

-       Agriculture at 43% (394,256t), mainly from livestock farming; 

-       29% from transport (267,527t) almost all from road transport; and

-        9% from heating fuels in buildings (78,68t) with most of that (68,643t) from homes. 

• The Council's own organisational carbon footprint, the 2023-2024 emissions were 16,545 tCO2e. Components of the carbon footprint under direct control of the Council comprised only 2,103 tCO2e. 
• Potentially, Net Zero for the ‘direct control‘ footprint could be achieved by a combination of reducing the impact of what the Council could directly control (mitigation was the top priority) and by balancing actions that reduced the impact of the other elements in the wider footprint. The Climate Action Plan indicated ways that carbon emissions could be avoided, reduced offset and inset emissions.  
• Steps as a Council to further reduce it’s own footprint included:

Lower emissions for their fleets, facilities and services, Renewable energy projects and support for trees and habitat schemes which absorbed carbon.

• The Council only directly controlled a tiny fraction of the district's annual impact, but could influence a significant part of local activity and infrastructure. 
• In the years between now and 2030, a series of projects were set to deliver important reductions to the Council’s annual carbon footprint.

-       Renovating sports centres could save up to 200 tonnes per year.

-       Workplace energy efficiency could save up to 200 tonnes annually.

-       Replacing 57 vans with EV by 2030 would save over 140 tonnes annually.

-       More renewable energy projects  ...  view the full minutes text for item 106