The round up from our CERP3 Launch event
On Thursday the 17 of October we, alongside Climate Action Durham (CAD), proudly launched our third Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP3). The event was hosted at Durham town hall, in collaboration with a local climate change community group, climate action Durham. This pivotal event deep dived into the climate action initiatives shaping our county over the next three years.
What Was Included in The Session?
We had a great turn out for the session with over 100 attendees. The session included activities such as a panel discussion from selected council officers to answer handpicked questions by CAD from the public, workshops dedicated to the 5 different themes including heat and energy, natural environment, food and waste, transport and communications and engagement. Attendees also had the chance to engage directly with council staff and share their views on opportunities, challenges and how they can help fight the climate emergency and reach our net zero goals.
Challenges that the public shared included connecting with the students of County Durham, promoting plant-based diets meaningfully. They also shared potential opportunities including partnering with universities, prioritising climate in policies, and fostering biodiversity-friendly spaces. Opportunities also lie in local, eco-friendly markets, climate related hubs, and collaborating with community champions, parish councils, and other community groups to drive practical solutions. One group that attended pledged to work alongside schools and the community to tackle food waste, others said they could work on promoting climate initiatives and sharing information in clearer ways.
Given the feedback, we know we are on the right track and what we need to do to improve our work and communications. There is a lot of work to be done to meet our targets and we are dedicated to collaborating with County Durham residents, businesses, and organisations.
Your opinion matters to us. If you attended our event, we would really appreciate if you could fill out this quick feedback form so we can continue to improve our forums and events. While we are taking steps toward a sustainable future, meaningful change requires collaboration with you and our partners to achieve impactful results.
Climate Emergency Response Plan 3
The CERP3 is now accessible across our council platforms. Alongside this we have refreshed and enhanced corporate web pages and branding.
The digital work we have done provides a comprehensive look at everything you need to know about different themes within climate change, how we are dealing with them from a council and county-wide perspective, and an action plan detailing our ongoing projects are available to view too. We are always open to feedback so please Get in touch as we will be happy to hear from you and don’t forget to sign up to our Climate Change and Carbon Reduction pledge.
We are committed to reach net zero by 2030 with an 80% carbon reduction to our emissions, as well as working with partners and communities to achieve a carbon neutral County Durham by 2045.
