Council represented at major climate conference

Over 140 residents, businesses, charities and environmental groups across the county attended the Hertfordshire Climate Change & Sustainability Partnership (HCCSP) event in Stevenage on Tuesday, 7 November.

Lord Deben, former chair of the Climate Change Committee, opened a conference on sustainability and climate change with a rousing presentation on honesty, urgency and delivery. The day was followed by workshops and panel discussions, which was also featured on Channel 4 News.

Officers from Three Rivers District Council were also in attendance and spoke to the conference about how the council is trying to overcome the barrier to reducing building emissions through retrofitting council buildings and residents' homes via the Transition Street project and by exploring creative sources of green finance.

The event will help the county’s councils progress coordinated sustainability action through the HCCSP, of which the district council is a member.

Joanna Hewitson, Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy Officer at Three Rivers District Council, said: “It is wonderful we are able to represent the district at major events such as these to showcase all the great things the council has done to achieve its climate ambitions, as well as share ideas to further help reach our targets.

“We are in a climate crisis, so it is essential that we all help each other in order for the country to be net-zero by 2050.”

The chair of HCCSP, Cllr Adrian England of Dacorum Borough Council, said: “With more and more evidence of a climate emergency, today has been one big A&E - an opportunity to combine a rich mix of attendees and experts.

“We’ve been purposefully listening to each other, doing the patient diagnostics to develop therapies for Hertfordshire, from water and biodiversity to buildings and transport, to achieve local net zero in a recovering biodiverse environment.”