On 16th October 2019 Halton Borough Council declared a climate emergency We believes that climate change poses a severe risk to the future of our planet and global warming has serious consequences, affecting our economic, social and environmental well-being, both here in Halton and across the world.
A Greener Future for Halton
Working towards a greener future - Halton’s Vision
This Action Plan is predominantly focused on reducing the Council's own carbon production. During the lifetime of the Plan, the Council will seek to broaden the scope and develop proposals to provide a broader Borough-wide Strategy. The Action Plan is intended to have short-term and long-term actions and will be renewed every five years. This does not preclude any actions being undertaken during the five-year period that enhances progress in the themes/programmes of work for this plan.
By 2040
Halton Borough Council’s own operations will aim to be:
- Climate friendly - having transformed the way it delivers services, works with businesses and other partners, uses buildings, land, and energy to decarbonise & encourage sequestration.
- Climate ready - with plans and projects having increased the resilience of Halton Council’s operations in the communities and the economy it serves to help minimise the impacts from unavoidable climate change; and
- Climate just - ensuring that all of Halton and its environment has benefited from this transition.
- Climate friendly refers to activities, which cut carbon emissions i.e. climate change mitigation. Becoming climate friendly will mean Halton achieving its net zero carbon target of 2040, 10 years ahead of the current Government target year of 2050. It will also include sequestration measures that are not aimed at reduction but removal of carbon from the air.
- Climate ready refers to increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change – being climate ready is also known as climate change adaptation. The stable climate that society and the economy have historically been based on can no longer be assumed, so society must adapt infrastructure and our way of life to cope with the changed climate.
- Climate just refers to ensuring Halton is a resilient, fair and prosperous place to live and work, and puts fairness and social justice at the heart of achieving climate goals. To be successful, all of Halton needs to benefit from the transition to a decarbonised economy and no sections of the population can be left behind.
