At last Wednesday’s Durham County Council Annual Meeting, local councillor John D Clare was named the Council’s ‘Climate Change Champion’.
Cllr Clare told the Newton News, “The backstory to this is the County Council’s decision, in February, to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’, which set CO2 targets for the Council and the County. Whilst I am not on the DCC Cabinet, I am Cabinet Support for Economy and Regeneration, with oversight of the Council’s Low Carbon, Climate Change and Renewable Energy strategies. This title – which is a huge honour – is a formalising of that responsibility.”
The post is contentious. Some people do not believe in Climate Change at all. By contrast, climate change campaigners believe that the Council’s targets do not go far enough.
Cllr Clare acknowledges the political difficulties, but sees the matter in simpler terms. “We are listening to everyone and I am aware of and appreciate people’s fears, ambitions and concerns. But at the end of the day, Council has set specific targets – a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050 – and it is my responsibility to oversee the strategies which will achieve those targets without wrecking the economy or making people poorer. My immediate task is to ensure that a Climate Emergency Plan is brought to Council on 17 July and we are on track to do so.”
“We live in a fragile world. Everybody agrees that we have a responsibility to look after it to the best of our ability. So, in this one respect, that is what I have been told to do.”
