The Council has joined the UK100 coalition of the most ambitious local leaders in the UK and pledged to reach a revised target of achieving ‘net zero’ across the county by 2045 – five years sooner than the government target of 2050.
The new pledge reflects the council's commitment to tackling climate change, both now and in the years ahead, and stretches current ambitions to drastically cut emissions in order to see a lasting environmental impact.
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Nick Rushton, Leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: "I was delighted to sign Leicestershire up to the original UK100 pledge in 2017. Since that time, the council has declared a climate emergency and agreed a £16 million package of measures over the next four years to take action on reducing carbon, such as generating clean renewable energy on the council’s estate and increasing the efficiency of our buildings and streetlighting.
"Our ultimate ambition is to become a carbon neutral council by 2030, and net zero countywide by 2045. Local government can play a vital role in achieving these targets, and being a part of the UK100 family, reinforces the collective message that reducing and eventually eliminating our carbon impact is everyone’s responsibility. Quite simply we cannot do this individually. But together, our future is in our hands."
