A CLIMATE change and nature emergency has been declared in the New Forest.

At its cabinet meeting, New Forest District Council (NFDC) declared an emergency for the district.

Cllr Edward Heron, leader, said, “In itself, declaring a climate emergency does nothing, it's what you then do.

“But this is a clear signal that we consider it of such importance that we will be building on the climate change actions already underway and taking a more fundamental look at our activities, with the target of reducing carbon emissions along with an ambitious action plan being put in place to measure annual district-wide progress.

“We have a strong track record in our sustainability and environment stewardship. We have engaged in climate change actions for many years and, through policies and activities, have made the district more resilient, reduced carbon emissions, created space for nature, and provided the infrastructure to enable others to make choices that reduce emissions.

“Going forward, we will be taking more actions in every area of our day-to-day activities, in our operations, our civic buildings and depots, improving our natural environment to support nature recovery, as well as gaining a better understanding and measurement of what the issues are and what our actions are achieving.”

A Sustainability Advisory Member Panel will now set actions to address the climate and nature emergency and will present a report to full Council in February 2022.