WILTSHIRE Climate Alliance has launched a petition to force the council to make carbon reduction its top priority.
The aim of the petition, signed by 244 at the time of writing, is to force the council to take immediate action, and make carbon reduction the top priority in every decision made.
In 2019, the council declared a climate emergency, but has taken no meaningful action to reduce emissions, the climate groups say.
By the end of the year, the group wants comprehensive annual carbon reduction targets to be created, so the council can deliver on its target of a carbon neutral council by 2030.
A statement on the Change.org site said: “We welcome the commitment in the draft Climate Strategy to net zero for Wiltshire by 2030 but deplore the lack of any delivery plans.
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“We have seen from the council’s, business and public responses to the pandemic what can be achieved when we all work together.
“As Wiltshire citizens, we are ready to play our part but we cannot do it alone.
“It’s time for Wiltshire Council to show leadership with a proper countywide plan to tackle the climate crisis that we can all get behind.”
Cabinet member for climate change, Nick Botterill said: “It is wrong to say that we have taken no meaningful action to reduce countywide emissions.
“We have reduced our own carbon footprint by 81 per cent since 2014/2015 and, in the latest government data, countywide emissions came down by 16 per cent between 2014/2015 and 2019.
“We are currently consulting widely on our draft climate strategy, which will set out what we plan to focus on over the next five years, and it contains a comprehensive set of objectives and areas of focus.
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“We’re also developing delivery plans to set out specific actions, including carbon reduction targets – but crucially we are not waiting before taking action.
“One of the top four priorities for our new business plan is a sustainable environment for Wiltshire, with the two commitments that ‘we are on the path to carbon neutral’ and that ‘we take responsibility for the environment'. This underlines our commitment to integrating climate objectives into all council policies and plans.
“We are treating the climate emergency as a matter of utmost urgency, and we are committed to taking action on climate change in Wiltshire.”
To sign the petition click here.
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