Warwickshire County Council’s Sustainable Future Strategy “is not fit for purpose”
Warwick District Green Party is keen to see strategies to rapidly reduce carbon emissions across Warwickshire, but the draft Warwickshire Sustainable Futures Strategy document, currently out for consultation1 (https://ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/insights-service/sustainable-futures-strategy/) is woefully inadequate.
The document proposes to reduce carbon emissions to net zero from WCC’s own activities (20,000 tCO2e/yr) by 2030 and the wider County (5,000,000 tCO2e/yr) by 2050.
However, the report admits that based on the proposed strategy neither of these targets will be met. For WCC’s own emissions, the proposed actions will only reduce the annual emissions by 46% leaving over 50% requiring offsetting. For County-wide emissions, WCC predicts only a 40% reduction in emissions by 2050 which would require a massive 60% of emissions remaining to be offset. These are unacceptably high figures.
Carbon offsetting through the proposed tree planting and natural sequestration actions will not meet the offsetting gaps. A sustainable strategy needs to be significantly developed through more ambitious actions around energy use savings (e.g. retrofitting), generation of renewable energy and transport policy.
District Councillor John Dearing (Kenilworth Park Hill) says: “We are disappointed not to see more direct plans for investment and changes in spending priorities. WCC spends £672 million annually on services, and yet the document does not make the link between this financial power and making strategic policies or decisions around carbon reductions. There is little sense of how WCC will use its significant influence to take net zero arguments to local businesses, the energy sector, local communities etc., or to integrate actions across the County with those underway by local councils. Disappointingly, it expects only to ‘engage’ with pension funds over investments rather than divesting from fossil fuels. This plan is not fit for purpose.”
Overall, the stated strategic objectives are not matched by actions of sufficient detail or magnitude. This suggests a lack of leadership and commitment to reaching the national targets for net zero carbon emissions.
