Dover District Council’s Cabinet has acknowledged the serious impact of climate change globally and agrees there is a need for urgent action – and has today agreed to recommend that Full Council declares a Climate Change Emergency.
Cabinet has agreed to set up a cross party Climate Change Member Working Group, which will prepare a strategy and action plan, with an aspiration for DDC to become a net zero carbon emitter by 2030. Cabinet also pledged to help support the wider community so that the district can become carbon neutral by 2050.
Council is set to consider declaring a Climate Change Emergency at its next meeting on 29 January 2020. A declaration would mean DDC would join a range of Councils across Kent and the UK in making such a declaration. This follows two motions by Full Council in July 2019 regarding aspects of Climate Change, and actions DDC could take to limit use of fossil carbon and encourage others to do the same.
The working group will be looking at a range of measures for the future, and we will be engaging with young people as we move forward. DDC has already confirmed support for the Kent Environment Strategy and Kent Fuel Poverty Strategy, and signed the Emissions Reduction Pledge 2020. Officers have also been working with Kent partners on the draft Energy and Low Emissions Strategy.
DDC is involved in a range of initiatives including: energy efficiency measures; LED street lighting; EV charging point installations; habitat schemes and green corridors; and DDC recycling services, which already meet the Government’s draft objective for 2023 for the range of materials collected. The Council has recently taken charge of two new electric vehicles and is looking into options for expanding its use of electric vehicles. DDC has been making regular reports on the level of greenhouse gas emissions which have been dropping steadily year on year since 2009/10.
Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “This is a very significant step. If we are to change behaviour and encourage the move to a carbon neutral future, there is a key role for DDC in promoting environmental considerations and working alongside local communities to reduce carbon emissions for the future.”
For more information, please see the report to Cabinet on the DDC website or see the DDC climate change pages.
Posted on 04 November 2019