Climate Change

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We are committed to tackling climate change.

We want to play our full role in protecting the environment. Our draft Carlisle Local Environment (Climate Change) Strategy (available as a downloadable document bottom of this page) shows our commitment to the issue.

The overall purpose of the strategy is to co-ordinate a programme of action, communication and engagement to encourage behavioural change.

The strategy is a starting point, a first step towards a clear, confident approach to the challenge of climate change. An approach that will build commitment to behavioural change.

In late August and early September 2020 we sought views on the draft strategy and its proposed actions. The strategy was accompanied by a consultation document.

Following the consultation, we have finalised the documents for Executive to recommend for Council to approve. The Council will lead by example with a clear strategy and a dynamic action plan that is consistent with the targets set and resources available.

The strategy is accompanied by an action plan, this provides more detail on how the strategy and the objectives will be delivered. In the action plan each objective has a set of actions listed under themes with a timescale for delivery. Each action will be linked to the carbon footprint and baselining work, using the scopes and options.

The action plan is a working document, the latest version can be found in the downloadable documents at the bottom of this page.

Further information and a newsletter subscription link for environment and climate change can be found on the new Cumberland Council website.

What climate change means for Carlisle

Climate change is a change in temperature and rainfall over a long period of time. The one thing that we can expect from Climate Change is more extreme weather, more often. In Cumbria, over the last five years we have experience widespread flooding from storms, heavy snowfall and localised droughts.

Carlisle has a wonderful diversity of open spaces, from the rugged high open Pennine Fells, rolling farmland, woodland, to the Solway Coastal Plain. We have a variety of village, town and city parks, recreation grounds, community gardens, cemeteries and churchyards. These spaces play a vital role in the in the health and wellbeing of local communities.

A healthy green local environment will help us to deal with the extreme weather related to Climate Change.

Action we’ve already taken to tackle climate change

We, along with its partners, are committed to ensuring that services are delivered in a way that protects the quality of the environment and minimises any adverse impact on community well-being.

We are part of the successful Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership that successfully bid for £2.5 million of National Lottery funding to cut carbon emissions in the county has been successful. The ambitious programme started in January 2021 and is led by the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, which spans the public, private and third sectors, including community groups, councils, the NHS, police, national parks, businesses and the farming community, among others. For more information about the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, visit https://cafs.org.uk/our-projects/zero-carbon-cumbria-programme/
We have helped support the installation of electric charging points within the city, we make sure future building schemes include eco-friendly features, have installed a new water drinking unit at the base of the Old Town Hall, are striving to have a more efficient fleet of council vehicles and all new procurement now takes into account carbon usage
Other initiatives include sustainable planning for St Cuthbert’s Garden Village. The Energy Masterplan in the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal will also deliver bespoke plans for the area and improvements to Carlisle Railway Station, providing a transport hub to encourage the use of sustainable transport.

Carbon Footprint

The Carbon Trust say that a carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by a person, organisation, event or product.

Net- zero carbon or carbon neutral

Carbon neutral or net zero carbon is the goal of ensuring that any given activity does not cause any additional carbon dioxide (or other greenhouse gas) to be added to the atmosphere. The net zero position can be achieved by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equal amount of carbon offsetting activities.

The Cumbria Climate Change Working Group commissioned Small World Consulting Ltd to write an independent report setting out Cumbria’s baseline carbon footprint. The Cumbria Carbon Baseline Report was drafted in February 2020 and is available as a downloadable document below

The overall vision is taken from the Joint Public Health Strategy Download the strategy as a PDF Document from the County Council website it is ‘to become a “carbon neutral” County and to mitigate the likely impact of existing climate change.’

The draft strategy presents actions grouped under five objectives. Each objective has a set of draft actions, listed with relevant service areas and proposed timescale for delivery.

Objective 1:

Reducing emissions from the City Council estate and operations.

This objective focuses on the GHG emissions from our operations, fleet and estate. The main components being the procurement of electricity, gas and vehicle fuel. It will also include the energy efficiency of our estate and the fuel consumed through business miles.

Objective 2:

Reducing energy consumption and emissions from homes and businesses in Carlisle and tackling fuel poverty, by promoting energy efficiency measures, sustainable construction, renewable energy sources and behaviour change.

Domestic energy consumption is a major component of our district carbon footprint, the local roll-out of smart meters and the Council’s own initiatives to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency are good medium-term actions. The longer-term challenge is around the sustainable construction and local renewable energy networks.

Objective 3:

Reducing emissions from transport by promoting sustainable transport, reducing car travel and traffic congestion and encouraging behaviour change.

Transport is the likely to be the largest component of our district carbon footprint and continues to present a risk the success of the national strategies aimed at reducing GHG. This objective will focus on the opportunities for countywide and local action.

Objective 4:

Reducing consumption of resources, increasing recycling and reducing waste.

As a waste collection authority this is our core business, the GHG emission from the service need to be considered alongside the whole process of collection and disposal. As well as the ‘embodied carbon’ in the waste itself. This is the service that all of our residents use and has come to symbolise the ‘greenness’ of a Council and an area through its recycling rate. This objective is linked directly to objective 1 and 5.

Objective 5:

Supporting Council services, residents and businesses to adapt to the impacts of Climate Change.

This broad objective recognises that the challenge of adaption to the known impacts, such as severe weather and interruption to private water supplies, are felt by our residents and businesses.

Downloadable Documents