MORE trees and wildflowers along roads, revoking a ban on wind farms and new investment into energy-saving initiatives have been rubber stamped by Hampshire County Council’s cabinet.
It is part of the authority’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with national targets.
Last year the authority declared a climate emergency and set up a commission to look into the action to be taken to tackle climate change over the next three decades.
County bosses approved creating a matching fund up to a total of £1m to pay for measures such as solar panels and LED lighting.
The authority has also reversed a policy approved in 2013 which prohibited large wind turbines and wind farm developments on county land.
The council said the original policy “goes against the key principles of the emerging strategy”.
Deputy leader Councillor Rob Humby explained: “The county council is committed to establishing a clear action plan to embed carbon reduction measures across the authority and make Hampshire more resilient to the impacts of a changing climate.
“This strategy sets out targets on both mitigation and resilience, for the county council’s own operations and the wider Hampshire area.”
The action plan covers all “direct and indirect carbon emissions” from the county council’s own activities – such as fuel, energy and waste.
These activities account for around “one per cent of all carbon emissions for the county”.
Therefore, the plan also sets a target for Hampshire “as a whole”.
Cllr Humby continued: “It’s imperative we place climate mitigation and resilience at the heart of our policy and decision making.
“We need all the county council’s services to contribute to reducing emissions and building resilience – replacing transport fleets with electric vehicles, reducing carbon from street lighting, and maximising the use of recycled materials in highways maintenance, to name just a few areas.”
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