During Summer 2008 Cambridgeshire County Council adopted a new strategy to tackle climate change and environmental sustainability in Cambridgeshire.

Why do we need a new strategy?

The environment is all around us – the air, land, water, climate and wildlife – and the resources that we rely on. In Cambridgeshire the pace of development and the way we live our lives and run our organisations and businesses mean that there is a huge pressure on the environment. We need to make sure we get the right balance between environmental issues, social issues and the economy.

Climate Change is a special priority for Cambridgeshire County Council because it is such as serious threat to the environmental, social and economic well-being of the county. This means tackling the causes of climate change, as well as being prepared for the impacts of climate change that are going to happen anyway.

Cambridgeshire County Council is committed to tackling these issues. The new strategy sets out formal policies and a plan of action, to show how we will address the issues of climate change and environmental sustainability. This includes some stretching targets on how we will reduce the environmental impacts from our own activities in delivering services to the community.

Download the strategy from the link on the right

How will we deliver the strategy?

The Climate Change and Environment Strategy is accompanied by a comprehensive Action Plan. This includes 65 actions that will be completed over the next four to five years. To ensure the action plan continues to meet Cambridgeshire’s objectives, it will be reviewed after two years.

Download the action plan from the link on the right.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s vision is for the environment and climate change to be at the heart of everything we do. To get started, actions to take forward the strategy are the responsibility of many different service areas within the Council – not just those normally associated with environmental issues. A cross-authority board of senior managers will oversee the whole process.

A series of environment, sustainability and climate change indicators – linked to the Local Government Performance Framework - will be used to monitor progress on the strategy.

Who will use the strategy?

The Climate Change and Environment Strategy is a record for everyone – all our customers, partner organisations and staff - of the biggest environmental concerns in the county and Cambridgeshire County Council’s commitment to tackling them.

For Cambridgeshire County Council staff and Councillors, it is also an important guide to ensure environmental concerns are taken into account in decision-making. For our partners, especially the District Councils, it sets out the Council’s aspirations for tackling environmental issues across the county, and how we can work together to do so.