Dumfries and Galloway Council launches Carbon Neutral Strategic Plan

On 27 June 2019 Dumfries and Galloway Council declared a Climate Emergency and set out the Council’s ambitions under a 12 point plan, with the aim of achieving a net zero carbon status by 2025.

The Declaration highlights the importance of Climate Change within our own region, whilst recognising the global implications, and promotes the role that the council is required to play, to coordinate, support and lead on regional activity, to reduce our carbon emissions and support a transition to a low and zero carbon economy.

Our Council’s newly launched Strategic Plan provides a route map to give direction and identifies key priorities and points of action for the Council.

Our communities, businesses and our delivery of council services are all impacted by the effects of climate change. The council supports both direct and indirect activities. Locally, through the role we play through our council’s property portfolio, energy consumption, education provision and fleet, to our influence with others through strategic partnerships, championing key economic sectors such as agriculture and forestry.

Our Council has already made significant progress with a number of actions. There are important projects underway aiming to reduce emissions, such as adapting the Council’s fleet to electric vehicles and reducing business travel by adopting digital solutions, and the council is actively planning to reduce the size of its own estate.

Collaboration across all sectors is essential to achieving ambitious targets, with partnership working being at the heart of this new Strategic Plan. Our communities have a major part to play and we are providing the support and encouragement needed through advice and expertise from our council officers and Elected Members.

Dougie Campbell, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Environment Champion said: “Climate Change, its impacts and the actions required to tackle the causes, places significant challenges and opportunities on our Council. The Declaration represents a fundamental shift in our understanding as a council about what becoming carbon neutral means. The creation of this strategic plan provides further demonstration of the council’s desire to lead locally on tackling the causes of Climate Change, supporting our communities to adapt and change, and to become more sustainable and robust to the challenges ahead. Greater progress will be achieved when we work together, it benefits everyone, and it is everyone’s job to act.”

To read the full Plan and for further information on our Climate Emergency Declaration, go to: https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/21773/Climate-Emergency