We're encouraging residents to have their say and discuss climate change at a community event next month.
We're holding a Climate Change Conversation event with residents on Tuesday, 9 November at Rochester Corn Exchange from 6.30pm. The event is being held during COP26, the 2021 United Nations climate change conference which is being held in Glasgow.
Residents are encouraged to come along, share ideas and talk through climate action in Medway.
We declared a Climate Change emergency in 2019 and since then we've been developing an action plan and working hard to achieve its target of becoming carbon neutral in Medway by 2050.
Earlier this year we adopted a Climate Change Action Plan which sets out how the area will respond to climate change.
The action plan will be reviewed each year and local partners, and the wider community, will be able to have their say.
We have made significant progress since declaring a Climate Change emergency including:
- Continuing to expand and improve Medway’s cycle routes. Medway has 81 miles of cycle ways and has seen a 20 per cent increase in cycling since last year.
- A £12million energy efficiency programme in council buildings.
- Planting 13,842 trees across Medway thanks to funding from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and establishing a Medway Tree Fund.
- Creating 30 miles of wildflower verges to allow a wider diversity of wild grass and flowers to thrive.
- Producing an animated video to raise awareness of air quality, its effects and what can be done to reduce the impacts, which has been promoted in schools across Medway.
- Continuing work on an ambitious £11million LED street lighting replacement programme.
- Developing an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point survey which will inform a new 5 year EV strategy.
- Installing 34 EV charging points in three council-owned car parks
Cllr Howard Doe, Deputy Leader of Medway Council, who is leading on Medway’s Climate Change agenda, said: “We all need to work together in the fight against climate change and I would encourage residents to come along to the conversation event to share their ideas and talk through climate action in Medway. These conversations are extremely important as it will help us prioritise future work. There are many small changes that we can all incorporate into our daily lives which will make a big difference to our climate such as walking, making sure we recycle correctly and turning the tap off when we brush our teeth. I look forward to meeting residents at the Climate Change Conversation event.”
Find out more about how the council is tackling climate change in Medway