Bracknell

Bracknell Forest Borough Council is to sign a national declaration which will commit it to tackling climate change, its Executive Committee agreed last night (January 23).

The Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change acknowledges the increasing impact of climate change on the local community. It also commits the Council, with its partners and communities, to develop plans to address the causes and impacts of climate change according to local priorities.

The declaration will be signed by Bracknell Council Leader Cllr Paul Bettison and Chief Executive Timothy Wheadon.

It is now widely accepted that use of fossil fuels is the major cause of climate change. It is also recognised that the consequences of climate change will continue to increase, even as fossil fuel use is reduced.

The Council already works to limit its impact on the environment, including promoting energy efficiency, discounts for residents on cavity wall and loft insulation, with grants to residents who receive income related benefits.

Additionally, Bracknell Council operates a fleet of vehicles which use environmentally-friendly fuel. Using liquid petroleum gas reduces harmful gases in exhaust fumes, for example carbon monoxide by 65 per cent, and carbon dioxide is reduced by 13 per cent.

The Nottingham Declaration was first launched in 2000 at a local government conference in Nottingham, and was re-launched at the Second National Councils Climate Conference in 2005. Almost 200 local authorities have signed it. The declaration commits signatories to work locally towards national climate change schemes, the resolution of the Kyoto protocol and the national targets for carbon dioxide reduction.

Ann Symonds, Chair of the Bracknell Forest Environment Partnership, said: "Climate change is the major challenge of our time. We are all part of the problem and can all be part of the solution. The environment partnership fully endorses the Council’s commitment and looks forward to supporting the process.”

Cllr Bettison said: "We can already see changes in our local weather pattern and the impact climate change is having on the environment around us.

"As the Council is signing up to the Nottingham declaration, it shows we take the issue of climate change extremely seriously and will do all we can to minimise our impact on the world."

Bracknell Forest Borough Council