New environment and climate strategy for Lancashire unveiled
A new strategy that will spearhead vital environmental work to make Lancashire a greener county is set to be approved.
The strategy, which has been developed by Lancashire County Council, sets out action the authority is already taking and maps out further improvements it will make over the next three years.
Protecting the environment is one of the council's priorities and the strategy organises future action into three main areas:
- Reducing waste and tackling pollution – this includes reducing waste and increasing recycling and improving air and water quality.
- Climate Change – action under this section includes reducing greenhouse gasses, ensuring infrastructure and services are resilient to climate change and managing water resources and flood risk.
- Natural and historic environment – including conserving habitats and biodiversity, ensuring people have easy access to green spaces, protecting our environment and landscapes and using natural solutions to tackle climate change.
The county council's cabinet will consider the strategy for approval on Thursday 1 December.
The new strategy follows Lancashire's first Climate Summit, which took place earlier this year. Other recent ground breaking action has included piloting biochar use to store thousands of tonnes of CO2 in the ground beneath our feet and supporting peatland restoration in the Forrest of Bowland AONB.
County Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: "Protecting Lancashire's environment is one of our key priorities.
"We've already made great steps forward with schemes such as piloting the innovative use of biochar to improve carbon capture in land where it is not practical to increase tree cover and through the work our highways team does to recycle road surfacing materials.
"We want to build on this and our Environment and Climate Strategy will spearhead further major reductions in waste and emissions and provide for the recovery of nature in our outstanding county.
"The strategy links in with and complements our economic strategy and the transport strategy, which is scheduled to be finalised shortly. It signals the next stage of our plans to work with our partners to make Lancashire an even greener county.
"Cabinet will consider whether to approve the plan at its next meeting."
For more information, please select the following link – Cabinet, Thursday 1 December 2022, 2pm