Climate Emergency Action Plan (July 2021)

Off-setting

The council is keen to prioritise carbon reduction over off-setting, however acknowledging that off-setting has a role to play.

Whilst we do not presently use the actions below to formally calculate carbon offsetting, the measures below do provide offsetting functions as well as wider ecological benefits for the borough.

Commitment	Action	Partners	Timescale
Tree planning programme	One tree for every resident, planting of 110,000 trees including 1 tree per primary school child as part of Queens Green Canopy platinum jubilee celebrations Continue to work with schools on additional tree planting	LCC, schools and colleges, local businesses, voluntary sector, residents	Medium term Short term
Protect and enhance existing Council woodlands	To promote biodiversity across the Borough		Ongoing Annual
Protect and enhance existing Council wild meadows	To promote biodiversity across the Borough		Ongoing Annual
Investigate peat conservation opportunities	Investigate potential local actions for improvements and conservation to peatlands	Lancashire Peat Partnership, Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, voluntary sector	Short term
Ecological assessments for developments within the borough	Through the planning process, provision of ecological assessments for proposed developments	LCC	Ongoing Annual
Promote development of bee friendly habitats	Investigate how Council estate can be used safely to facilitate bee keeping Utilisation of council assets for bee keeping as identified		Short term Medium term
Investigate additional carbon capture technologies	Investigate those options suitable for the borough Seeking funding opportunities for implementation of identified carbon capture technologies, including emerging markets for CO2 use	Local businesses, agricultural sector	Short term Medium term
romotion of re-wilding	Encouraging re-wilding of areas of gardens and land across the Borough to provide food, shelter and corridors for wildlife	Schools and colleges, local businesses, voluntary sector, residents	Short term
Investigate additional potential offsetting measures	Investigate potential local actions for improvements and conservation	LCC, schools and colleges, local businesses,voluntary sector, residents	Short term

Methods of delivery
Commitment	Action	Timescale
Develop a climate emergency staff forum	Training elected members and staff in climate emergency issues, to increase engagement and awareness Formation of a staff forum	Short term Short term
Develop a climate emergency citizen assembly for the borough	Provide a forum for inclusion of residents, to support community initiatives, share best practice and further engage local communities	Short term
Make best use of emerging technology	In all areas ensure we are making best use of new technology, where possible seeking external funding opportunities and engaging in pilot schemes.	Annual Ongoing
Engage with schools and colleges	Provide a forum via the schools for the involvement of young people throughout the borough	Short term
Make a greater difference by working in partnership with others	Participate in a cross Lancashire Local Authority group to share best practice, and improve funding opportunities	Short term
Communicate our work internally and within our community	Use of council website, social media, parish councils, community Hubs, voluntary sector	Short term
Strive for continuous improvement and learn from best practice	Continue to explore a wide range of technologies and effective outcomes	Annual Ongoing
Climate emergency impact to be considered as part of all Council reports	In all areas, the climate emergency impact of council decisions requires full consideration	Short term
Staff volunteering programmes	Facilitate staff volunteering for community related activities that support the Climate Emergency agenda and action plan	Short term