Climate Change Strategy: at the heart of our recovery
Read the York Climate Change Strategy 2022-2032.
Read the York Climate Change Strategy Technical Annex.
Read the Climate Change Action Plan.
The Climate Change Strategy follows a Full Council Motion in 2019 that declared a Climate Emergency.
We've since set an ambition for our operations to be carbon neutral by 2030, to be in line with world scientific advice for what is needed to limit temperature rise to 1.5º and avert runaway climate breakdown.
This is a city-wide ambition that required a city-wide strategy. The York Climate Change Strategy will be a shared strategy for the city, encouraging us all to work together to deliver our shared vision.
This involves reducing emissions of carbon dioxide as well as offsetting our remaining emissions through initiatives such as tree planting and sourcing renewable energy.
We recognise the threat of climate change at both a global and local scale, from flooding to farming. We're committed to delivering bold, local climate action to deliver economic and social benefits for all our residents, such as:
- new green jobs in York
- economic savings, such as sustainable energy sources
- market opportunities, including green technologies
- improved health and wellbeing for York residents
We've already made an ambitious start to refocus our economy, working with partners to create clean air zones, developing zero-carbon homes (which also have virtually no heating bills), and welcoming a fleet of electric Park & Ride buses and waste collection vehicles. We're also looking at ways we can remove waste and reuse resources at every stage of how we produce and consume things, known as a circular economy.
Read more about Climate Change.