Background
Torbay declared a climate emergency in 2019. This means a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it. To tackle the climate emergency locally the Torbay Climate Partnership have developed a Torbay Climate Emergency Action Plan. It is a two-year plan to help the whole of Torbay work towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030
Torbay needs to take rapid action and play its part. We are already seeing the negative impacts of a changing climate.
Some actions needed will have to be delivered centrally by Government, however, many actions can be influenced and delivered locally.
To gain an understanding of what Torbay’s residents and businesses want to do to help tackle the climate emergency, the Torbay Climate Partnership held a series of climate conversations and surveyed businesses to develop actions for this action plan. This action plan also includes a range of immediate priorities that the University of Exeter’s Net Zero Torbay Report recommended Torbay take.
This plan focuses on what we can do in Torbay to play our part in tackling the climate emergency over the next two years.
The Action Plan includes:
This means taking as much carbon dioxide gases out of the atmosphere as we put in. We will reduce Torbay’s carbon emissions to as near to zero as possible locally. Where residual emissions exist in 2030, these will be balanced by removals from the atmosphere.
Vision
To work together towards creating a thriving resilient carbon neutral Torbay by 2030
Objectives
The objectives for this plan are:
- High take-up of energy-efficiency measures, renewable energy and low-carbon heating technologies in all homes and business premises
- Carbon neutral new buildings
- Reduce the need to travel and shift to sustainable transport options
- Use technology to reduce emissions from vehicles
- Avoid waste
- Maximise carbon storage in the environment
- Transition our power sector to renewables
- Support businesses to transition to carbon neutral
- Build a climate resilient Torbay
- Communicate action to tackle climate change locally
Themes
This Action Plan focusses on working towards reducing carbon emissions from the:
- Built Environment
- Power
- Transport
- Waste minimisation
- Nature based solutions
- Clean growth and sustainable businesses
- A range of cross-cutting themes, including communication
Actions
Over 100 actions form this action plan. All have lead partners that will help explore and deliver the Actions over the next two years.
We need to assess climate risks to our communities and reduce their vulnerability so they can learn to cope and adapt to a changing climate and be better prepared and recover quickly from climate related events.
A summary is outlined below:
- Roll out energy saving clinics, community talks, recruit, and train 10 'Community Energy Champions' and over 200 home visits
- Develop projects to help more homes to save energy through installing energy efficiency and low carbon measures
- Strengthen planning requirements to make new developments net zero operational carbon with EV charging points
- Develop support for small businesses to help them save money, through saving carbon, energy waste and water
- Invest in sustainable travel options including more cycling, wheeling, and walking routes
- Roll out public electric charging points in Torbay
- Explore more local community-based waste minimisation projects and local growing projects
- Help store carbon by protecting our local sea grasses
- Develop a green tourism award
- Deliver more local campaigns to encourage sustainable lifestyles
The benefit to Torbay
Addressing the climate emergency is an opportunity to create a fairer, healthier, more resilient and thriving society. It is about creating nice places to live and work now and in the future.
Encouraging everyone to be more active by walking and cycling; improving air quality through the electrification of vehicles; insulating our homes to make them warmer; and eating more balanced diets will all improve public health and reduce pressures on the NHS.
There is considerable potential for the transition to clean technologies to create new jobs and skills, improve energy security and increase economic prosperity. Retrofitting energy efficiency measures into housing will reduce fuel poverty and illnesses associated with cold homes and create local jobs.
Enhancing the ability of habitats to store carbon offers opportunities to reverse the decline of biodiversity and restore the benefits healthy ecosystems provide. These include reduced flood risk, improved water and air quality and accessible greenspace.
Measuring Success
This plan aims to set Torbay on an accelerated path towards carbon neutral by 2030. It is a two-year plan. Subsequent plans will be developed all the way up to 2030.
The Torbay Climate Partnership will monitor this action plan over the next 2 years.
To make sure progress is being made between now and 2030 interim targets are being developed by the University of Exeter. An addendum to this action plan will be issued in mid-January 2023 outlining these proposed targets for up to 2025.
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