What is the council doing?

Salford City Council recognises that climate change is now accepted as a reality which we need to address urgently.

The changes we make as an organisation will free up extra money that can be used to improve council services and, in the long run, we will be helping to make Salford a greener and more healthy place to live.

Our commitment so far:

In January 2005 we signed the Nottingham Declaration on climate change which has been signed by over 200 councils. We also signed up to the North West Climate Change Charter in January 2006. Both of these commit us to extensive action
We are part of the Carbon Trust's Local Authority Carbon Management Programme
The council had a 'local area agreement' target to reduce carbon emissions in Salford by 12.5% by 2011. We are still committed to trying to achieve this target. This means we have to cut: 62,000 tonnes from businesses 60,000 tonnes from households 57,000 tonnes from road transport
We have produced Salford's Climate Change Strategy and action plan which demonstrates our commitment to doing our bit. We are working with partners to achieve our target and ensure that we are adapting to climate change in the city

The Climate Change Strategy deals with:

Carbon reduction - reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases
Climate adaptation - ensuring that we are considering the impact of climate change and how we can deal with it
Behavioural change - raising awareness and educating about the challenges posed by climate change

The key areas of focus are:

Transport and travel
Housing
The economy
Regeneration
Wasting less
Understanding the impacts of climate change
Adapting services and places
Raising awareness and educating

The strategy covers the council as a business unit, managing our own estate, as a regulator and policy maker and as a community leader, working with communities and partners.

Carbon Management Plan

The council’s Carbon Management Plan outlines the city council’s commitment to an aspirational 40% reduction in CO2 over five years. identifies the best opportunities to reduce CO2 most effectively. It represents a programme of physical projects and a programme of behavioural change that will challenge every member of staff to reducing our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.