Following the declaration of a climate emergency in July 2019, Surrey County Council (SCC) has today approved Surrey’s Climate Change Strategy, a collective approach for how the county can be net zero carbon by 2050.
The strategy was developed in collaboration by all of Surrey's twelve district and borough councils, including Surrey Heath, and is the result of a shared ambition across the county council and the districts and boroughs, for Surrey’s Greener Future – one where residents can live in clean, safe and green communities and embrace their environmental responsibilities. To deliver on Surrey’s ambitions, the county’s current rate of carbon consumption would have to decrease significantly.
Commenting, Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, said,
“We must all do our part in the fight against climate change and the scale of our ambitions must reflect the scale of the challenge. But for real change and definitive action, we need to work in a coordinated national effort with the support and leadership from the government, to meet our targets. Our response will not only define our generation but shape and make way for a new generation who will strive to protect our climate. Together, we can ensure Surrey is cleaner, greener and more resilient, now and into the future, so later generations can truly thrive.”
The strategy is broken down into eight key sectors;
- Organisation Emissions
- Transport and Air Quality
- Energy Generation
- Housing and Planning,
- Buildings and Infrastructure,
- Waste
- Resources and Circular Economy,
- Land Use and Food Systems, Industry and Economy.
Each sector includes county-wide CO2 emissions reduction targets, with three strategic priorities and actions to achieve them.
The role of land and green infrastructure is also identified in the strategy as having significant potential to strengthen resilience to and help tackle climate change, as well as improve air quality. SCC has committed to facilitate planting 1.2 million trees county-wide and Surrey’s New Tree Strategy, also approved today, will provide a framework to help deliver on this.
The New Tree Strategy details the many benefits to planting trees, including significant potential to capture carbon emissions, reducing the risk of flooding, enhancing biodiversity, and filtering noise and air pollution, as well as improvements to our mental health and wellbeing.
Cllr Mike Goodman, Windlesham & Chobham, and SCC Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said:
“Trees play a fundamental role in helping to tackle climate change. By planting them and nurturing their growth we can capture and store carbon emissions and protect our environment for future generations.
"We need to bring the countryside back to residents and Surrey County Council’s New Tree Strategy will pave the way. The trees we plant today are the ones our children and grandchildren will be playing under in years to come.”
Collectively, we must all do what we can to help tackle climate change and for Surrey to achieve the goal of net zero carbon by 2050, we must act today. To read the full Strategy click here.
