Impact Assessment – Devon County Councils Endorsement of the Devon Carbon Plan
In February 2019 the Council declared a Climate Emergency and at the same time committed to collaborating with regional partners to develop a response. DCC led the creation of the Devon Climate Emergency partnership which includes public, private and voluntary organisations.
The partnership prepared the Devon Climate Emergency Declaration. This set out an ambition to tackle climate change across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay and involve those people who live, work in and visit the County in addressing the challenge. The challenge involves reducing emissions to net-zero by 2050 at the latest, and improving communities’ resilience to the heating climate and the associated climatic changes and extremes of weather this is causing.
Following an evidence-led process guided by an independent Net-Zero Task Force, the Devon Carbon Plan has been through an Interim version and various stages of public consultation, which included a Citizens’ Assembly. The Plan provides a framework for achieving net-zero and contains actions for individuals, organisations, communities and policy makers. It highlights the barriers that need to be overcome, the resources required (whether they are existing or required) and where collaboration with national government is needed to do so. It divides action into five sectors: economy and resources; energy supply; food, land and sea; transport; and the built environment.