Climate Change Plan

A plan that will lead to a significant reduction in the city council's greenhouse gas emissions over the next 18 years will be presented to councillors on the 12th March.

The council has already cut its 1990 levels of emissions by 25% - but the new Climate Change Action Plan acknowledges that there's still a lot to be done, if the target of a 50% reduction by 2025 is to be achieved.

"Our success to date is down to a number of key initiatives," said Lib Dem council leader, Cllr Roger Blackmore. "Switching to cleaner fuel, adopting a wide range of energy efficiency measures and buying electricity for our street lighting from renewable sources have all helped to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. But with climate change already taking place, it's time to step up a gear. It's now vital that we speed up our work to improve insulation and heating controls in council buildings, increase our efforts to buy energy from renewable sources, drive forward plans to create extended Combined Heat and Power (CHP) schemes and develop our own new sources of renewable energy."

Council officers are already assessing the potential for a medium-scale wind turbine in the city, while a trial is due to get under way in September that will see vegetable oil being used to power the boilers at a city CHP scheme.

In total, the action plan sets out 24 steps that the council will take to reduce the 54,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions it's directly responsible for each year.

And it also shows how the council will seek to use its influence to cut the 2 million tonnes of emissions generated by the city each year.

Work to improve the energy efficiency of public and private housing stock, the introduction of a heat metering project for council tenants, and better partnership working with the commercial and industrial sectors will have some impact - but no real change will be achieved without a commitment from individuals and organisations to change their practices and behaviour.

"It's clear that the council has a role to play in encouraging businesses, voluntary organisations and individuals to wake up to their environmental responsibilities," said Cllr Blackmore.

"News that we've just experienced the warmest autumn and winter on record is a reminder that climate change is happening around us already. The challenge now is to do something about it - which is why we'll be working closely with our colleagues on the Leicester Partnership to encourage as many people as possible to draw up action plans for reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions."

Councillors will consider Part One of the council's Climate Change Action Plan at the Cabinet meeting on March 12th. Part Two - which will set out how council services will need to adapt as the effects of climate change take hold - will be prepared later this year.