Issue - decisions

1.

Title of Item/Report

Environmental Sustainability & Carbon Reduction Strategy (ES&CRS) 2022-32 Annual Monitoring Report

2.

Record of the Decision

Consideration was given to a report on the Environmental Sustainability & Carbon Reduction Strategy (ES&CRS) 2022-32 Annual Monitoring Report.

Climate change poses a real threat to society and biodiversity. There were already increasing impacts of flooding, high winds, heat waves, significant wildfires and species collapse.  To limit climate change there needed to be a reduction in carbon emissions building on the work already achieved.

Local authorities were increasingly expected to play a central role in responding to climate change but were often constrained by severe resource limitations. Given current financial pressures, the Council simply not able to take on the full breadth of climate?related responsibilities that national policy sometimes assumes.

However, the reality was that significant and potentially dangerous changes in weather patterns were already locked in due to existing global emissions. These impacts more frequent extreme heat, flooding, coastal surges, and storm events would continue to intensify over the coming years.

As a local authority, the Council had a statutory and moral duty to protect residents, safeguard essential services, and maintain the conditions for local economic activity. This meant that, irrespective of the capacity to act on mitigation measures, the Council would inevitably be required to strengthen the resilience of the local infrastructure.

Therefore, the focus in the coming years must shift toward:

•         Prioritising climate adaptation and resilience, recognising that these measures will be essential to keep people safe and services functioning.

•         Investing in the robustness of critical systems—transport, energy, water, digital connectivity—even where funding is limited, by embedding resilience into every decision, project, and procurement opportunity.

•         Advocating for the necessary resources, so that local authorities are properly equipped to meet the challenges that are already unfolding.

Climate change was no longer a distant threat it was a present and escalating risk. The primary responsibility was to ensure communities could withstand the impacts that were already inevitable.

Stockton Council’s Environmental Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Strategy (ES&CRS), adopted in 2022 set out the direction needed and described the actions that would contribute to the achievement of net zero.

The Council had made significant progress within the resources available, achieving a steady decline in carbon emissions over a long period. However, substantial additional investment would be required in the coming years if the Council would remain on target for Net Zero by 2032.

Continued concentration on measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from assets and fleet, were an urgent priority, alongside investing in solar energy generation and counterbalancing natural solutions.

RESOLVED that the annual monitoring report be noted.

3.

Reasons for the Decision

This report is to update Cabinet upon the actions following the adoption of the Environmental Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Strategy 2022-32.

Cabinet is also invited to study the data which indicates the reduction of greenhouse gasses over a sustained period and the highlighted position of carbon emissions for the authority relative to targets.

4.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None

5.

Declared (Cabinet Member) Conflicts of Interest

None

6.

Details of any Dispensations

None

7.

Date and Time by which Call In must be executed

Not applicable – Report for noting only.