Purpose

The
draft Climate & Nature Strategy 2026-2030 is now complete.
There are several new commitments to note within the draft strategy
in addition to the existing targets set out in the Zero Carbon and
Doubling Nature Strategy:
 

a.    
Under the new strategy the Council seeks a mandate
to create a net zero target for the Council’s estate and
operations emissions, based on evidence as to what is financially
and practicably achievable.

b.    
A value has been assigned to the previous
‘doubling nature’ target based on land use data
provided by DEFRA to define the target in a measurable
way.

c.    
A new target to ensure that communities across South
Cambridgeshire are resilient to a 2°C rise in
temperature.
 
Where
it is not possible to reduce emissions to zero, the strategy
outlines the Council’s plan to offset these emissions to
achieve net zero.
 
A
public consultation on the new draft strategy and action plan is
planned to run in the autumn; sustainability consultants
Bioregional will analyse the results and sufficient time has been
built into the timeline to incorporate the feedback from
participants.

Content

Cabinet
has:

a)   
Noted comments of the Climate Change and Environment
Advisory Committee in relation to the draft Climate and Nature
Strategy and provided further commentary as necessary;
and

b)   
Agreed with the Committee’s recommendation to
the Lead Cabinet Member for Environment to approve the draft
strategy for consultation.