Themes and Aims to achieve a Green Future
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Our policy
Our ambition for North Lincolnshire’s environment. We will all work together to protect our environment, end our contribution to climate change and all benefit from the wealth of the natural and economic opportunities we have in North Lincolnshire.
Theme 1 – Net Zero and Sustainable Energy
Aim 1 – By 2030, the council will achieve ‘net zero’ and we will end the council’s contribution to global warming
We are taking action
The council has a strong track record of reducing carbon emissions, achieving significant reductions since 2009. But we are still directly responsible for putting around 12,200 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. By 2030 we end this.
- We will transition to a green fleet.
- We will source all our energy from renewable sources.
- Wherever possible we will use our own renewable energy sources wherever we can, such as photovoltaics, biomass, hydrogen and ground/air source.
- We will maximise opportunities for carbon capture and sequestration.
- We will offset any direct emissions that we cannot avoid.
- Through all our procurement and commissioning activity, we ensure all organisations we work with share and deliver our vision.
Aim 2 – Clean Growth – working together for net zero industry and commerce and good air quality
Tackling Climate Change is more than just the council
- Carbon emissions from industry and commerce across North Lincolnshire are around6.6 million tonnes.
- Total carbon emissions are over 7.4 million tonnes.
- North Lincolnshire Council’s own direct emissions are only small part of the total carbon emissions for the area.
We need to do more than being a net zero council.
- We will support regional work to create the world’s first net-zero industrial cluster by 2040, improving the long-term competitiveness of the energy-intensive and continuous process industries across the Humber.
- We will work hard to strengthen cluster leadership and co-ordination to encourage joint responses to environmental opportunities and challenges across the industrial sector, including dealing with impacts on air quality.
- We will continue local support for the development of public/private partnerships to develop and achieve best environmental practice across the region.
- The council will seek and lead on establishing sub-regional and regional support for the decarbonisation agenda.
Aim 3 – The shift to net zero embeds decarbonisation in our economic growth. Decarbonisation is one of the foundations of our future prosperity
Transformational Opportunities – The Economy of our Environment
The transition to net zero in our area creates new jobs whilst at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing competitiveness. The council will support and take forward work to:
- Accelerate deployment of renewable and clean sources of energy to increase supply diversification and affordability.
- Maximise investment opportunities in the area through Green Tech and Green Finance.
- Increase energy efficiency and conservation in all sectors.
- Increase investment in production, transformation and distribution of viable renewable energy resources.
- Strengthen and enhance the human and institutional capacity in the energy sector.
- Ensure greater use of renewable energy across all sectors.
- Support all businesses to access funding to reduce CO2 emissions and become more sustainable.
- Increase knowledge, technology transfer and information sharing across Northern Lincolnshire.
And we will all need to do more as North Lincolnshire moves to net zero.
Aim 4 – Net zero living is easy and accessible. It benefits the environment and improves peoples lives
Sustainable energy and sustainable living
To deliver sustainable living we will:
- Ensure our Local Plan drives up the number of homes that are net zero and seek to ensure we end development that is carbon positive.
- Deliver new developments that are flood resilient and have robust travel arrangements.
- Target work to upgrade the energy performance of as many homes as possible by 2035.
North Lincolnshire Council will adopt a Integrated Transport Vision and Strategy with a key aim of delivering a net zero transport system across the county that:
- Meets need and is available for everyone to use.
- Prioritises net zero transport, such as walking, cycling and electric vehicles.
As people are enabled to shift to walking, cycling and public transport for all shorter journeys and net zero means of transport for other journeys, they improve their health and wellbeing. Getting about becomes more affordable. Air quality is improved.
Theme 2 – Resources, Waste and Water Management
Aim 5 – Resources are used more efficiently. The amount of waste North Lincolnshire produces is minimised
Tread Lightly
- Ensure that less than 1% of waste produced in North Lincolnshire goes to landfill.
- We will minimise per capita waste collection rates.
- The council’s reliance on single use plastics will be eliminated by 2023.
- All of the council’s waste from activity will be re-used or recycled.
- North Lincolnshire’s waste that cannot be recycled will used positively, by using it to produce clean energy.
- The area will make the best use of waste water, contributing to growing the economy and minimising our ecological footprint.
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be supported to become more resource efficient.
- Business and residents will minimise their waste, dealing with it at a community-based level where they can.
Theme 3 – Our Natural Environment: People and Place
Aim 6 – Everyone is connected with our environment. We enhance and protect it
Putting Energy into Natural Capital
North Lincolnshire has a strong track record of protecting our environment and connecting people with it. We will:
- Work with Natural England to bring an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty into North Lincolnshire.
- Work to achieve a litter free North Lincolnshire.
- Deal with fly tipping and eradicate large scale waste and enviro crime in North Lincolnshire.
- Adopt a Local Nature Recovery Strategy that will give collective focus all natural environment activity and resources.
- Reverse past declines in habitats and species provide habitat networks provide for protected and priority species.
- Encourage and develop investment decision making to ensure decisions demonstrate net zero whole life-cycle impact on climate change and biodiversity.
- Ensure all developments minimise harm to wildlife and deliver a measurable increase in biodiversity.
- Enable a vibrant market for habitat compensation, biodiversity offsets etc, targeting action towards areas that would provide bigger, better and joined habitat networks. Ensure that biodiversity is both conserved and enhanced.
- Implement a Flood Risk Strategy to ensure mitigation and protection is in place so that communities most vulnerable to flooding are kept safe.
Theme 4 – A Shared Responsibility and A Shared Vision
Aim 7: People feel the benefit of our environment and everyone has a stake in it
Reaping the Rewards – Good for Nature, Good for You
People will be connected with nature and benefit from improved health and well-being.
- Enabling new “Friends of Groups” and supporting existing ones – delivering ‘ownership’ and a real stake in their environment for local residents.
- Enabling Town and Parish Councils and other community groups to do more to enhance their local environment, both through transfer of responsibilities and enabling community-led environmental improvements.
- Promoting, providing and using opportunities for cycling and walking.
- Enhancing biodiversity and integrating recreation into management planning for community spaces such as parks, gardens, cemeteries and other public spaces.
- Planting more trees and hedgerows, ensuring ancient woodland is protected, native trees encouraged and increasing woodland cover overall. Our Northern Forest project is a key part of this.
- Conserving and enhancing our local nature reserves and green spaces, including consulting on any significant tree street related tree felling.
- Managing key sites to be carbon negative (removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere), contributing to net zero.
Aim 8: A Network to Achieve Our Vision for ‘A Green Future’
The Whole is Other Than the Sum of its Parts
We will deliver ‘A Green Future’ for North Lincolnshire by:
- Supporting and raising the environmental aspirations and performance of everyone who lives and works in North Lincolnshire.
- Taking area wide ownership and action.
- Ensuring North Lincolnshire works to the same environmental outcomes – council, business and residents – we have all got our part to play and everyone is clear what that part is.
- Seeking and using the best professional insight and use data and analytics, to ensure we achieve the best outcomes.