Local authorities have a key role to play in responding to the climate emergency. Whilst local authorities in the UK are, on average, directly responsible for only 2-5% of local emissions, they can influence up to a third of emissions through the services they deliver, their role as a community leader, major employer, large-scale procurer, and so on.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is committed to achieving net zero through reducing its own carbon emissions across council operations, and by working with communities and organisations to influence behaviours and ambitions on climate change across the county.
Following the declaration of a climate emergency in February 2021, we are currently in the process of developing a Climate Change Strategy for the East Riding which will explore opportunities for reducing carbon emissions and examine how we can mitigate and adapt to climatic changes across the wider East Riding area.
Responding to climate change involves two approaches:
- Mitigation - reducing our carbon emissions in an attempt to lessen the extent of climate change
- Adaptation - becoming better prepared for, and more resilient to the impacts of, a changing climate.
The evolving Climate Change Strategy will build on the council’s successes in environmental management and emission reduction, which have been driven by the authority’s Environmental Policy.
Environmental Policy Summary (Sept 2020) (pdf 1.4mb)