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East Cambridgeshire District Council

… we plan to do over the next 12 months. We’ve created a new Top 20 set of actions we intend to deliver, which includes: • planting more trees on our land (including a new hedge-based maze, designed by you!); • putting in place energy efficiency measures in our own buildings; • investigating whether we can install our own renewable energy infrastructure; • doubling our efforts to work…

… to hopefully agree the next steps in tackling climate change and boosting our natural environment. And I congratulate the UK government for committing in April to set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law, in order to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. I am also thrilled to read of the Queen’s Green Canopy, a national programme of tree planting…

… emissions from buildings, whilst enhancing natural assets through restoring local heritage, providing increased green spaces for people and nature and increasing tree planting to assist with shade and urban cooling. Imperatives for Action There are three clear imperatives for action, as outlined by the Global Commission for Adaptation, which will directly impact our ability to serve our…

…. For example, if you reduce 20 tonnes of CO2 in 2020, this produces a cumulative impact of 400 tonnes reduction by 2040. ‘Net Zero Carbon’ means, first, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the lowest possible level. Then, for any remaining emissions, offsetting them through carbon removal methods such as tree planting or carbon capture and storage, so we have ‘net zero’ emissions overall…

… to the atmosphere. However, offsetting should be seen as a last resort. Planting trees, even on a massive scale across East Cambridgeshire, will only go a tiny fraction of the way to balance out our current emissions. For the UK as a whole, the net zero target legally must be reached by the end of 2050. Pathway to Net Zero Carbon (Source: Cambridgeshire County Council Climate Change…