Climate emergency action plan - pathway to net zero

Human activity has already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. 2024 is confirmed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) to be the warmest year on record globally, and the first calendar year that the average global temperature exceeded 1.5C above its pre-industrial level.

This Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) has been developed as a framework, to help shape the council’s priorities for climate action across the borough for the period 2022-30, it gives us the opportunity to:

• Communicate our response to the climate and ecological emergency and share good practice
• Influence and shape the development of strategy and policy for climate at county, regional and national levels
• Make a positive impact towards the national effort to address climate change
• Work in partnership to take forward projects and initiatives that reduce the impacts of climate change
• Set an example to other Local Authorities yet to set a goal and pathway for becoming net zero

We believe that building a better future means leaving a legacy of sustainability for future generations. This is the foundation of our ambitions to reduce Cheltenham’s carbon emissions to net zero. The action plan sets out our aim to achieve the 2030 target by working across the organisation and with residents, communities, businesses and public and voluntary organisations. We'll need to reduce our carbon footprint and adapt through improving our infrastructure to achieve a cleaner and greener sustainable environment. This supports our key priority 3 - Reducing carbon, achieving council net zero, creating biodiversity within our coroprate plan.

There will be further developments which we cannot yet foresee, such as changes in government policy, the emergence of new technologies and lessons learned through experience. Therefore, although the main goal of the 2030 CEAP will remain the same, that is to become a net zero council and borough by the year 2030, the action plan will remain flexible and be reviewed and updated, taking account of new research, developments, technologies, community needs, and funding opportunities.