Ambitious £5bn climate plan approved by WECA regional leaders

An ambitious climate strategy that could cost more than £5bn has been approved by regional leaders.

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) plan includes retrofitting 250,000 homes over eight years to meet carbon neutral ambitions.

It also has a target of 40% less car mileage by the end of the decade.

Leaders said the project reveals the "daunting" scale of urgent change needed to respond to recent warnings of imminent "irreversible damage".

A previous strategy was dropped by the authority despite spending two years on it.

This decision came after WECA members decided the original plan was not ambitious enough and they were not on track to meet its goals by 2030.

The climate report also aims not only to halt the decline of wildlife but reverse it and increase its abundance from 2020 levels by 30% in a decade and explore tidal energy and hydrogen power schemes.

WECA mayor Dan Norris told the meeting on Friday: "The scale of the challenge is daunting. It won't be easy. In fact, it will be hard.

"This is a living document and will be amended and updated to reflect changing circumstances, new data and the best new ideas.

"If we are to meet our ambitious net zero targets, it will involve a massive effort from the combined authority, our unitary authorities, residents and businesses.

"I don't think people have fully comprehended that, but if we are to hit that net zero 2030 target, that means year on year we have to reduce our CO2 emissions by 10%. That is tough and we need to be real about that."

He said the Government also needed to do much more and that the new plan set out "key asks" of ministers.

Members also voted through £10.4m for projects under the recently approved Green Recovery Fund.

Bath and North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy said: "We have been behind the curve when it comes to the climate emergency and putting it first and foremost in every single decision we make."

South Gloucestershire Council leader Toby Savage said: "This is a really important step forward for us as a region."

While Bristol deputy mayor Craig Cheney told the committee: "While the strategy is not perfect, there is a need to make progress."

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