Taking action on climate change in the Moorlands

Published on 12 October 2021

In November the eyes of the world will be on the UK when it hosts COP26 - the United Nations climate change conference - and here in the Moorlands the District Council is working to support everyone who lives and works locally to do their bit to help.

When it declared a climate emergency over two years ago, the Council unanimously backed plans for the Moorlands to be carbon neutral by 2030.

In July this year, it published an action plan setting out how it will achieve the net zero target for its own emissions by 2030 and listing the key areas of focus for 2021/22.

But this is not a target the Council alone can achieve and work is already underway, in partnership with working with others, to set out how it intends to help the whole District achieve this target.

Councillor Joe Porter, Cabinet member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: "Climate change affects everybody so it needs every one of us to work together to bring about changes to address the impacts and create a sustainable future for all of us.

"The headlines can be daunting and we understand that for some people it can be difficult to know what they can do that will make a difference. That's why the team at the Council is working closely with residents, businesses, organisations and groups across the Moorlands to pull together a clear plan offering guidance, help and support.

"Key to that is knowing what our local communities think about climate change, hearing their views on what they think needs to happen, and learning from experts and organisations that are already delivering projects and schemes in our District.

"I'm pleased to be able to report that this work in well underway and we'll be sharing more details in the coming weeks."

As part of this work, the Council engaged Future Focus Research to carry out telephone interviews with a representative sample of 500 Moorlands residents over the summer to gauge local attitudes to climate change.

Their responses have helped inform the development of the District-wide plan which will be published this Autumn.

Councillor Porter added: "The time for action is now and I want to reassure people that there is a huge amount of work taking place to make sure that we leave our environment in a better state than we inherited.

"I'm looking forward to sharing this work soon but, for now, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the attitude survey and all those individuals, groups and organisations that are working with us to help us secure a better future for our District."

You can read the Council's action plan, and more about climate change, at www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/ClimateChange

The Council is recruiting a Climate Change and Biodiversity Officer. You can read more about the role and apply online at www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/article/6842/Climate-Change-and-Biodiversity-Officer The closing date for applications is 20 October.