North East leaders issue statement ahead of COP26

Council leaders across Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside and County Durham, as well as the North of Tyne Mayor and Police Commissioner for Northumbria, have issued a statement ahead of the COP26 climate summit.

The leaders highlight that just as their region was at the heart of the industrial revolution, so too does it have the capacity to lead the way to Net Zero.

They call for greater investment in the region to build on the projects already underway to help the country reach net zero, including offshore wind production, electric vehicles, forest planting and research into new technologies.

The statement read: ‘The North East is already attracting significant investment in helping the rest of the country go green, whether that be through infrastructure to support production of off-shore wind energy, electric vehicles, planting new forests, or world-leading research into new green technologies.

‘Greater investment and a streamlined process for unlocking funding is essential for us to go further. Between us, we have many projects that are already making a difference – with further investment we can do more, and do it faster. We have the minds and the capabilities within our communities to make a difference and help protect our planet for us and for future generations. But we need Government to continue equipping regions and local authorities with the resources to play our part.

‘Delegates from across the world are convening in Glasgow from Sunday for a global summit on the climate emergency. This is the opportunity for nations to unite, put aside any differences, and focus on something that impacts each and every person on earth.’

They also argue that the UK government must act to make the most of its hosting role in the climate summit: ‘That COP26 is being held on these shores puts the UK under the microscope. It puts the spotlight on the country in terms of what our government is doing to implement the decisive and drastic action that is required to protect our planet.

‘Addressing the climate emergency is everybody’s business. Aspirational speeches and policies looking 40, 30, and 20 years into the future are not enough. Climate change is happening now, our planet is heating up, and if solutions don’t come and attitudes don’t change, it will be too late to undo the damage. When the crisis facing us all is laid bare over the next two weeks, hopefully that will be the trigger we all need as a springboard towards definitive action.’

In related news, a project to transform some of Nottingham’s hardest to heat council houses into energy efficient homes has been chosen to be showcased at COP26.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt