What it means and why it matters
Climate change, nature loss, and environmental issues are not future risks, they are present realities. These challenges threaten not only our environment, but also our infrastructure, economy, and public health and we are making a set of commitments to work with statutory partners, landowners, businesses, communities and our protected landscape agencies to take action. Our ambition is to reduce emissions, restore nature and develop adaptations to improve resilience and transition to a greener future, as set out in the Devon Carbon Plan. We are engaging with our young people to support greater access to our natural landscape and hear their views on how we can build a more sustainable Devon, where clean growth, green jobs and innovation go hand in hand.
Our six commitments with our four-year goals and activities.
Commitment: Reduce carbon emissions across council operations and county-wide systems.
Goal: Lead by example through moving towards net zero council operations.
We will:
- Continue to set clear annual carbon reduction milestones for council buildings, fleet, and energy use.
- Explore further options for energy efficiency measures across the DCC estate.
- Reduce emissions in council travel, procurement, and service delivery.
Commitment: Empower communities to lead local environmental action.
Goal: Support community-led climate action and resilience.
We will:
- Explore with national funders and businesses the possibility of creating a Green Devon Fund building on previous activity to support local retrofit, biodiversity, and flood schemes working.
- Facilitate learning and sharing of best practice to community groups. Parish and Town Councils to develop their own actions to reduce carbon.
- Expand access to nature-based solutions and green infrastructure.
Commitment: Work in partnership to protect Devon’s natural environment; including water, soil, and biodiversity.
Goal – Protect and restore Devon’s natural environment.
We will:
- Work with statutory partners to improve water quality and hold polluters to account.
- Support biodiversity through land management, planning, and promote regenerative practices on Devon County Council-owned farms and through tenant partnerships.
- In partnership develop and then deliver against the Devon local nature recovery strategy, giving information to enhance the planning system, including the delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain requirements, and investment in our urban green spaces.
Commitment- Work with partners to improve climate resilience in infrastructure, communities, and land use.
Goal – Build resilience to climate-related risk.
We will:
- Develop and explore partnerships with landowners. communities and statutory agencies ways to improve and adapt flood and infrastructure resilience and funding options.
- Work with the Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Resilience Forum to respond to heat, storms, and ecological risks.
- Through the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership consider further ways to embed climate adaptation, across the Devon footprint and including our own assets.
Commitment: Promote green skills, green jobs, and a circular local economy, engaging young people and their ideas.
Goal – Support green jobs, skills and low carbon economy
We will:
- Partner with education providers and employers to grow the skills needed to support the transition to a low carbon economy and upskill our workforce.
- Use our relationships, procurements and contracts with suppliers to contribute positively to our low carbon ambitions through local purchasing, corporate social responsibility and supporting a circular and sustainable economy.
- Promote clean growth opportunities such as retrofitting, renewable and sustainable construction to grow the local economy and provide career and job opportunities for our young people.
Commitment: Embed sustainability into procurement, planning, and economic development.
Goal – Embed environmental accountability in how we work.
We will:
- Continue to consider environmental impacts from all major decisions, contracts, and plans.
- Monitor carbon impact, environmental performance, and local co-benefits.
- Report openly on progress and challenges through a public sustainability dashboard.