North Yorkshire is supporting a national network - to represent the countryside in the climate change debate.

The Countryside Climate Network is a cross-party group of 21 councils from across England.  

The network is warning that rural communities are at the "frontline of climate change".   

A letter published by the group warns that "rural communities are at the frontline of climate changes" and that "the countryside offers far more than a place to plant millions of trees to offset carbon emissions."

Last year, North Yorkshire County Council committed to produce its own carbon reduction plan with the ambitions of beating the Government's goal of 2050 - and to aspire to achieve net carbon neutrality by as close as possible to 2030.

County Council Leader Cllr Carl Les said:

"We are lucky to call North Yorkshire home and the work we have begun will help us understand where we are and what more we can do to deliver a robust structure to protect our environment in a more formal way.

"We have committed to strive towards an ambitious target for carbon neutrality. We are committed to actions, not just words."

"As an authority, we are acting to reduce our CO2 emissions and water consumption and to minimise waste, for example through Allerton Waste Recovery Plant and our Rotters composting initiative. We have taken a clear stance to protect North Yorkshire in our Joint Minerals and Waste Plan, to encourage sustainable economic growth and to consider environmental and social impact in our policy and procurement.

"Now, as an active member of the Countryside Climate Network, we can and will do more."

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