Nottinghamshire County Council has appointed Councillor Mike Adams as its first ‘Environment Ambassador’ ahead of the UN’s Climate Change Conference (COP26) starting on Sunday in Glasgow. The Environment Ambassador will lead on the county council’s ambition to become carbon neutral in all its activities by 2030 after it declared a climate emergency in May.

The council has already commissioned a new greenhouse gas report to pinpoint where carbon emissions are greatest across its buildings and services. Once complete, a targeted plan will be put in place to reduce these emissions.
It is also set to transfer its electricity supply to a green tariff which will provide energy exclusively from renewables thereby avoiding fossil fuels.

Cllr Adams said: “I’m thrilled to have been appointed the county council’s first Environment Ambassador. It is a big responsibility and one I take very seriously. “We were already working towards carbon neutrality in our buildings, but the climate emergency declaration provided a clear signal of our commitment to Nottinghamshire’s environment.
“I’m going to be rolling my sleeves up to make sure we meet our promise to become carbon neutral by 2030 – it is an opportunity we can’t miss.

“I’m really glad to have taken up this role with COP26 just around the corner too.” The Environment Ambassador will also work closely with partner organisations to deliver local climate friendly projects to help the UK reach its ambition of reaching net zero as a country by 2050.

This includes working with Greenwood Community Forest to deliver the DEFRA-funded ‘Trees for Climate’ programme, which will see at least 250 hectares of new woodlands created across the county in the next five years. The county council has committed to planting 250,000 trees on its own land and is also working closely with the three other D2N2 highway local authorities to develop cycling and walking infrastructure for the benefit of both the environment and tourism.

Cllr Adams added: “Our climate emergency declaration promised we would secure net zero emissions in all our activities, but we want to go further and contribute to carbon neutrality across the UK. “We have got some fantastic joint projects in the pipeline like the Trees for Climate scheme, where we have already planted the first five hectares of new woodland and will be planting a further 60 hectares this autumn and winter. “I’m looking forward to working with our partners to help deliver a cleaner and greener future for both Nottinghamshire and our country.”