Exeter City Council has announced that the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership has published the final version of the Devon Carbon Plan.
The Plan outlines the ways that Devon will become net zero, with a deadline of 2050, and details exactly what needs to be done by everybody, in order to make the county resilient and sustainable.
Lead Councillor for Climate Change at Exeter City Council, Cllr Duncan Wood, said:
“In Exeter, we’ve have set an ambitious commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, which will play a significant part in the county's ambitions.”
This was added to by Meg Booth, Chair of the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group, who said:
“This Carbon Plan is the culmination of the latest scientific evidence and citizen participation, without which this plan would not have been possible, and I want to thank everyone involved.
“This is a plan that speaks to us all. It is the responsibility of all of us to adopt what each of us can individually from this Plan.
“There are things that we each must do to adapt our behaviour, to reduce our individual carbon footprint. There are also things that councils, businesses, and other organisations can do to help people reduce our county’s carbon footprint. And there are things that need to be done nationally, to reduce the country’s carbon output.
“In Devon, the decarbonisation of transport, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and the transition towards renewable energy are essential if this county is going to reach the 2050 target.
“However, it is also critical that the transition to a low-carbon economy is fair, and that no area of society is unfairly disadvantaged.
“To ensure that we achieve our goals and can track our progress and resolve any issues, a series of oversight boards, made up of community representatives, including young people and specialists, will be created.
“This is the best, perhaps only, opportunity for Devon to become net-zero by 2050.
“I have no doubt that we will make the transition to a low-carbon economy, an economy which is just, fair and right for our county.”
The publication comes after hearing the opinions of residents of Devon, thanks to public consultations, workshops, and a Citizens Assembly.
The majority of the emissions in Devon come from buildings such as homes and workspaces, as well as on-road transport, so the plan sets out the terms that will be needed to increase the amount of renewable energy being used across the county.
The council are now encouraging all organisations to sign the Devon Climate Change Declaration, so that growing support for taking action can be shown.
