Clackmannanshire Council is working to meet the needs of those who live and work in the area. However, this must be achieved in a sustainable way, without compromising the ability of those who live and work here in the future to meet their needs.
We will work towards achieving economic development as long as it brings with it improved quality of life, and enables us to protect and enhance our environment, we are focusing our efforts on the social and environmental factors that contribute to fulfilled and satisfied lives.
One of our biggest issues to address is climate change: the earth's climate is changing as a result of human activity, and we need to both mitigate this change and adapt to its consequences.
The challenge is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, which are the main source of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
We also need to consider how we will deal with more extreme weather, and how our plant and animal species will cope with more extreme seasons.
The Council and all those with responsibility for delivering its services, at every level, have a duty to make sure that we are acting sustainably and with a long-term vision of how our actions now will affect the lives of those in the future.
Our legacy should be to pass on a better Clackmannanshire to the next generation - a place where people can thrive, live healthy and fulfilling lives, and enjoy their environment.
Clackmannanshire Council has unanimously declared a climate emergency and recognised climate change as one of the most serious challenges facing communities here in Clackmannanshire and across the world.
The Council also brought forward its net zero targets to 2040 at the latest and set an area-wide target of net zero by 2045.
The new Interim Climate Change Strategy sets out a framework for achieving these targets and includes ways of aligning major decisions, budgets and approaches to planning decisions with a shift to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Specific emission reduction opportunities have been allocated into six areas to aid the development of a thematically based Climate Emergency Action Plan:
The Council also recognises the need for the public to have a much more significant role in shaping collective future actions – particularly since the most severe impacts of climate change are likely to be felt by people who are at greater risks of poverty.
This is why the Council is establishing Climate Change Forums in each of the five ward areas of Clackmannanshire.
The Forums will allow young people, businesses, community organisations and residents to meaningfully contribute to environmental targets in Clackmannanshire.
To register your interest or find out more, please use the contact details below or email: climate@clacks.gov.uk.
All annual climate reports are available via the Sustainable Scotland Network website.
Sustainability
Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa, FK10 1EB
Tel: 01259 450 000 Fax: 01259 727 453
Email: climatechange@clacks.gov.uk