Dundee to "grab the bull by the horns" and tackle climate change locally
Councillors will be asked to back ambitious plans next week to tackle the climate emergency.
Last updated 1st Sep 2021
Ahead of the COP26 summit taking place in November, Dundee City Council looks set to approve ambitious plans to tackle the climate crisis
The city council has already declared a climate emergency and a Dundee Climate Leadership Group has been established to help achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the city in the next 25 years.
Ahead of the COP26 climate summit approaching in November, the policy & resources committee is being asked to sign the city up to three major declarations to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to tackle the issues.
City council leader John Alexander said: “We are taking the climate change emergency extremely seriously in this city and are already taking direct actions to try and make a difference.
"It's really important we grab the bull by the horns, and we help lead that conversation and show what we can do,"
“Over the last 13 years or so, the council has slashed its carbon footprint by 42% and our capital plan for the next five years contains an additional £22m of projects which focus on energy, mobility, waste and resilience.
“Dundee will be making its voice heard during COP26 and signing up to these declarations would further strengthen our efforts.
“This includes are £9m for the Broughty Ferry to Monifieth active travel corridor, £6m for sustainability and low carbon projects, £3m for housing energy saving measures and projects including sustainable transport and infrastructure and fleet electric vehicles.
“We have also launched a climate action plan with the backing of local companies and organisations and are reaching out to the city’s people to help us in this vital effort.
“Dundee will be making its voice heard during COP26 and signing up to these declarations would further strengthen our efforts.
“But this is not something we are doing solely for one even. We cannot be complacent and we need to be committed to a long-term effort to improve the situation not just for ourselves, but for future generations.”
The policy & resources committee meets on Monday September 6.