Introduction
Why there’s a need for CAN
In March 2019, the council declared a climate emergency with cross-party agreement. We recognise that greenhouse gases will cause severe climate change and that urgent action is needed to reduce emissions and adapt.
The whole of the Stockport borough, including the council, residents and businesses, must make big changes to reduce our emissions now so that we stop contributing to climate change.
CAN’s aims
Our 2 key targets are:
- for Stockport to be carbon neutral by 2038
- for Stockport Council to be operationally net zero by 2030
‘Net zero’ means to achieve a balance between the greenhouse gas emissions produced and the greenhouse gas emissions removed from the atmosphere.
‘Operationally’ refers to the activities the council is directly responsible for, such as heating and powering council buildings and fuel used in vehicles.
Our CAN journey
The initial CAN strategy was approved by full council in October 2020. In 2021 we created a CAN team to lead this work.
In November 2021, the council made a pledge through UK100 to achieve net zero emissions for our own operations by 2030. For more information about the UK100 network visit the UK100 website.
In its first 5 years, CAN has helped to:
- reduce the council’s greenhouse gas emissions by 33%
- improved decision-making with data
- boost renewable energy generation
- plant close to 30,000 trees
- change how we work within the council
- set up thriving engagement programmes with young people, communities, and businesses
Find out more about our achievements from 2020 to 2025.
Although we’ve achieved a lot, we still need to reduce emissions faster to meet our target for Stockport Council to be operationally net zero by 2030. To do this, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions where we can, through actions like making buildings more energy efficient and generating more energy locally.
Our current strategy
In 2022, the council declared a biodiversity emergency, meaning that's there's an urgent need to boost the variety of plants and species. Boosting biodiversity will also benefit wellbeing in our communities and help to prepare for future climate change.
The CAN strategy now incorporates this challenge and so has been renamed from 'Climate Action Now' to 'Climate And Nature'. The new name reflects our commitment to action on both climate and nature. Restoring nature also helps to adapt to the changing climate.
Find out more about the Climate And Nature (CAN) strategy 2025 to 2030.
The CAN strategy is put into practice through the:
Responsibility for climate change strategy at Stockport Council
Councillor Jake Austin is the Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment. A cross-party group, representing all parties in Stockport, meets 4 times a year to discuss progress and agree strategy.
Nick Leslie is the Head of Climate And Nature at Stockport Council.