Written by Cllr Kathryn Field, Environmental Management Portfolio Holder and Chair of the Climate Emergency Steering Group.
Rother District Council has declared a Climate Emergency with the aspirational target of being
carbon neutral by 2030. Carbon neutrality includes other noxious gasses, the most common one being carbon. As the Portfolio holder for this area of work I recognise that this is a huge task albeit extremely exciting. During Lockdown we’ve all had a taste of living in a world of lower emissions; less traffic, cleaner air to breathe, bluer skies etc. But it’s about so much more than that. True carbon neutrality needs all of us to think differently about the way we live, not just in lockdown but forever.
You might be wondering what the council can do about this. The answer is that it will struggle on its own: this has to be a joint project. There are two strands to this work. We must ensure that everything we do as a council - as individual Members and staff as well as how we run our estate - contributes to the 2030 target. We must also ensure that we have plans and policies in place to make it possible and easy for our residents to live sustainably. This is why we have consulted on our new Environment Strategy, we want to know what our residents think as well as the many groups in the District who are already working towards sustainability from whom we have a lot to learn. We are not the only people who can have ideas; it is essential that we listen to those who know so much more than we do and learn from Councils who are closer to achieving their environmental goals than we are. It is pointless and a waste of time to “reinvent the wheel”.
It is essential that the first question we ask ourselves before embarking on any new project is “what effect will this have on the environment?” and this applies in our private as well as our professional roles. I am looking forward to working with partner organisations to make sure that our joint endeavours contribute to achieving our 2030 target for a cleaner and more sustainable District enhancing not just our lives but those of our children, grandchildren and generations to come.
Cllr. Kathryn Field.
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