East Ayrshire Council has become one of 88 local authorities to sign a pledge to become net zero by 2030 – 15 years ahead of the deadline set for the UK as a whole.
The body has signed UK100’s ‘Net Zero Pledge’ which commits them to neutralising council emissions by 2030 and those of their residents and businesses (area-wide emissions) by 2045.
Council Leader Douglas Reid signed the pledge together with Councillor Claire Leitch and said it must now be recognised that “we are in the middle of a global climate emergency”.
He said: “In Scotland, we have the most ambitious climate legislation in the world. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, we have decided to go beyond the already stringent Scottish Government targets.
“Our aim is to end our local contribution to climate change within a generation. As proof of our commitment we’ve carried out a council wide review of our services, looking at all the ways in which we can reduce our carbon emissions in the way we work and in our buildings and use of equipment and resources.
“And we’ve also looked at how we can work with residents, businesses and partner organisations to achieve net zero in our wider communities too.
“We’ve set out our plans in our comprehensive Clean Green East Ayrshire Climate Change Strategy and consultation which will act as a blueprint for all our future actions.”
Councillor Leitch said: “In November this year the world will look to Scotland as the venue for the United Nations COP26 climate summit. This marks the most important moment for the international climate challenge since the Paris Agreement in 2015.
“Having this event on our doorstep provides us with the unique opportunity to show what is special about East Ayrshire and to highlight the creative thinking and practical work already taking shape in our area to meet our net zero emission targets.”
Christopher Hammond, Network Membership Director at UK100, added: “As the international community comes together in Glasgow for COP26, global decisions need to be delivered at a local level. It’s a task that will need bold leadership, legislative clarity, shifts in behaviour and enthusiastic adoption of new technologies.”
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