Climate change strategy 2022

By 2030 we will have achieved our commitment to making Gateshead carbon neutral, organisations will be working together in a combined effort to reduce carbon emissions. Opportunities in the 'green economy' will be realised within the businesses benefiting from sustainable growth.

Our community will have healthier and more active lifestyles, improved access to nature, cleaner air, warmer homes with lower energy bills and better access to local services. We will have supported our community through this change, and we will reduce inequalities across the borough, enabling everyone to thrive.

Our vision will be implemented though the Climate Strategy and the measures contained in this strategy will also help deliver outcomes from the Health and Wellbeing strategy, Thrive, the Economic Strategy, the Local Plan, the Tyne and Wear Transport Plan and other strategies.

What does success look like?

• to be carbon neutral (scopes 1 and 2 by 2030)

• to have a scope 3 carbon neutral target set by 2025

• for the climate and environment to be factored into all Council decisions by 2025

• for residents to be healthy, happy and thriving, whilst caring for the environment

In addition to reducing our impact on climate change, we need to adapt to the changes that we are already facing and are going to face in the future, from flooding events to wildfires. Adaptation needs to take place to ensure that our communities are kept safe and our economy is resilient but also that our environment is protected, including animals and plants.

Identifying adaptation needs in our localities is an important first step to planning for adaptation in Gateshead. To make Climate Change more digestible, we have split it into themes, and each theme has its own vision:

- Transport
- Energy
- Economy, consumption and waste 
- Woodland and nature
- Food
- Adaptation to Climate Change and Building flood resilience

Transport

• support the migration to zero emission vehicles through the provision of electric charging infrastructures for vehicles in appropriate locations, and will work with the public transport operators to support them in making all buses zero emission
• work together to address how services and goods can be delivered with zero carbon impact. We'll make services and facilities more accessible within communities, minimising the need to travel, and the amount of distance travelled (20 minute neighbourhoods)
• increase awareness amongst the community of greener, healthier transport
• aim to reduce the number of children travelling to school by car

The North East Transport Plan puts climate change at its heart. The council and partners will implement this objective in its programme of sustainable transport schemes and work with businesses including public transport operators to make sustainable travel more affordable and accessible.

• Walking and cycling will become the natural choices for shorter journeys. We will make improvements to the infrastructure to help people make these choices which will help people improve their health and save money
• Public transport will become a more attractive choice by making improvements to the network and working in partnership with stakeholders, including the public transport operators, to improve ticketing options and information

Energy

We will continue to priorities reduction in energy use in the following areas:

• for homes, including Council stock investment
• for businesses, with services to support recourse effectively
• for council buildings, through invest-to-save energy saving measures

To deliver our Zero Carbon Heat Strategy, we will:

• continue to invest in heat networks for council homes and buildings, and their surrounding communities
• support installation of heat pumps where viable
• with partners, we will support the growth of clean, green hydrogen, like InTEGReL and HyDeploy2, as an alternative to heating fuel
• embrace national policies and infrastructure that aim to decarbonise power supplies by 80% at least 2030, and completely by 2040.

Our aim is for Gateshead to lead by example in the North East's low carbon heat cluster, for clean heat provision and research.

Economy, consumption and waste

• for sustainable business to flourish in Gateshead
• for consumerism to be mindful of carbon implications with a shift towards a greener economy
• to reduce waste
• for the re-use and re-purpose of materials for consumables to become common place (buy less, re-use, swap, buy second hand, buy local, buy ethical, sharing and borrowing culture)
• to manage all waste appropriately within the waste hierarchy (reduce, re-use, recycle) including recycling and energy from waste
• to work towards a doughnut economy - looking after the needs of both society and the planet
• to explore options for the new technology to help reduce emissions, for example, hydrogen fuel or carbon capture and storage, and for the green economy to thrive

Woodland and nature 

• maximise and protect our woodland and habitats 
• leave the environment in a better state than we found it
• plant 100,000 trees by 2030 and work with partners to increase woodland cover from 15% to 17% by 2050
• allow our communities to be able to access and enjoy the countryside and urban nature using sustainable methods of transport, supporting health and wellbeing

Food

• make low carbon, sustainable food available to all
• reduce food waste in all sources
• reduce food miles for residents and businesses
• encourage a reduced meat diet
• have a thriving, sustainable food network that addresses food poverty, food scarcity and climate change
• increase education in food

Adaptation to climate change and building flood resilience

Support the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) to deliver the programme of local flood mitigation schemes and working with key stakeholders, such as, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water, to manage flooding in communities that have been affected by flooding incidents or are at high risk of flooding. 

Support the Environment Agency with the delivery of Team Valley Food Alleviation Scheme to reduce flood risk on Team Valley Trading Estate including day lighting culvert, upstream storage, natural flood management, embankment, surface water management, SuDS and a flood warning system. 

Ensure today's growth and infrastructure is resilient to tomorrow's climate. 

Put in place sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and flood mitigation measures within major new developments.

Make properties in high risk areas more flood resilient, by encouraging communities and businesses to incorporate property protection measures. For example, flood gates, and to prepare flood response plans to better enable premises to be insured. 

Consider England's long term water needs to ensure resilient water supplies and improve the water environment taking account of the North Water Resources Management Plan once complete.

Work with a range of partners through the Tyne, Teams, Tyne Estuary and Don river catchment partnerships and the Northumbrian Integrated Drainage Partnership.

SuDS incorporated within property, highways and green infrastructure. For example, water butts, rain water gardens, permeable paving, basins, and swales and ponds.

Create climate resilient places through integrated catchment management: Use nature-based solutions to reduce and slow the flows and achieve multiple environmental benefits, such as restoring biodiversity. 

Ensure landowners maintain their flood management assets. For example, watercourses, culverts, flood defences, drains SuDS (including Council assets).

Prepare for flooding events - appropriate warnings, alerts, evacuation plans and information from multi-agency partners. 

Build community engagement and prepare local flood response plans.

Ensure our communities are safe from the impacts of climate change including energy price rises.

Help our businesses be resilient to climate change.

For our biodiversity to be resilient to climate change.