Harlow Council: Have your say on the Climate Change Strategy

Communities / Mon 21st Oct 2024 at 02:38pm

HARLOW Council is encouraging residents to have their say on plans to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions in Harlow.

In 2019 the council declared a climate emergency, which set out several climate change pledges. This was followed by an agreed target to hit Net Zero by 2040 and the development of a Carbon Reduction Plan to reduce the council’s own carbon emissions.

To build on these pledges the council has developed a broader Climate Change Strategy for the town as a whole. The strategy sets out how the council can achieve Net Zero through its own activities and how it can influence the wider community and local economy to deliver reductions in emissions for the town.

The draft strategy sets out seven key objectives:

To achieve Net Zero emissions from the council’s operational buildings, land, vehicles, and services, including those provided by service delivery partners

To achieve Net Zero emissions from all homes and the built environment within Harlow

To reduce consumption of resources, reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling in Harlow

To adopt good stewardship of the natural environment across the town to support both climate change adaptation and mitigation

To achieve a significant modal shift towards more sustainable means of transport

To promote reduction of emissions by businesses to Net Zero, supported by a successful green economy

To lead and encourage local communities, partners and stakeholders to reduce their emissions and contribute positively to meeting the challenges posed by climate change

The strategy outlines actions, projects and proposals that support the objectives, as well as identifying any issues. You can view the full draft Climate Change Strategy at www.harlow.gov.uk. A shorter version is also available.

Councillor Nicky Purse, portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, said: “Climate change affects us all and will continue to do so if we don’t act now to decrease the harmful effects of carbon emissions. The consultation is the next crucial step to help us implement a workable plan for tackling climate change. It is very important that we have the feedback, views and support of those who live, work or run a business in Harlow, to ensure that we as a council are doing everything possible to make a positive difference.

“By taking a few minutes out of your day to fill out the survey, you’ll be making a huge difference to the next generations to come. Let’s all work together to make Harlow a better place to live, work and raise families.”

The consultation begins on Monday 21 October and ends on Friday 20 December 2024.

To have your say, please complete the online questionnaire or provide comments straight into the document via the council’s online consultation platform. A downloadable copy is available on the Harlow Council website and can also be viewed in all Harlow libraries.

Comments can also be emailed to: [email protected], or posted to: Forward Planning, Harlow Council Offices, Civic Centre, The Water Gardens, Harlow CM20 1WG

5 Comments for Harlow Council: Have your say on the Climate Change Strategy:

Adam

2024-10-22 08:37:57

Man made climate change is fiction and the science behind it corrupted. They ignore warming periods and recently NASA data shows no warming. Models are as good as covid models as for net zero, there is no such thing as a low energy rich country, so all this will do is make us poorer and colder. Especially when the using renewable as they do not stabilise the grid frequency. In short ignore it all, all we have done is offshore emissions anyway to China at great cost of industrial and energy security. It is death cult if idiots and communists ignore it.

David Forman

2024-10-22 10:07:24

I'm just wondering how Harlow Council's portfolio holder Michael Hardware announcement of how brilliant it was to be expanding Stansted Airport and having increased air traffic fits in with tackling climate change?

Seamus

2024-10-22 10:52:53

Net Zero is a Ponzi scheme. Politicians will tell you the money will stop it/reduce it, you can't. Unless we put a bubble over Harlow then we are always going to get other areas air and emissions no matter what we do in Harlow. That covers point 1 & 2. Point 3, the only way you can stop/reduce this is not to allow any further housing without infrastructure, Harlow council refuses this. Point 4, we are already doing this aren't we? Point 5 had me laughing given Harlow council is involved with 30,000 plus new homes and Stansted doubling it's people traffic. Point 6 Most in Harlow are at the minimum legal amount and lastly point 7. To reduce hot air and excess emissions perhaps the council could reduce the amout of councillor meetings which expel enough virtue signalling hot air to power Iceland (not the food shop).

John

2024-10-22 13:27:04

Why aren't all new homes built with solar panels and even small wind generators with associated batteries that would supply that home with some or all of its electricity? Answer: Because then people wouldn't have to pay electricity bills.

Henry

2024-10-23 10:14:26

Net Zero, is nothing more than a con, it’s not possible for it to be achieved, the only hope is to reduce where possible, but that in itself has limits, we will always have atmospheric pollution in this country, caused by the wind, bringing in the pollution that other Countries make, twice last year we had sand dust over cars that came up from the Sahara desert as just one example, when the winds in a certain direction You can smell the brewery at Stansted Abbots, planting a lot more trees can help to reduce it but even that’s not a silver bullet.