2. Introduction (Summary)

Introduction

2.1 Background

In May 2019, the Devon Climate Emergency (DCE) partnership formed to respond to the climate and ecological emergency. Its partners represent public bodies, private sector interests, environmental organisations and academic institutions. Within the partnership, and this Plan, Devon refers to the areas administered by Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council (see Figure 2.1).

Map showing that the partnership covers the areas administered by Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. — *Figure 2.1 – The DCE partnership covers the areas administered by Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council.*

The partnership prepared the Devon Climate Declaration, which has resulted in a shared commitment to engage Devon’s residents, businesses and visitors to develop and implement a plan to facilitate the reduction of Devon’s emissions to net-zero. In addition, a separate Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Adaptation Plan is currently in development and will help prepare communities to live in a warmer and more resilient world.

As well as their contributions to the development of this Plan, DCE partners have been delivering immediate initiatives that are accelerating the reduction of Devon’s carbon emissions.

2.2 Purpose of this Plan

This Plan describes the changes needed to achieve net-zero emissions in Devon. It introduces goals to overcome barriers to change and actions to make them happen.

_{‘Net-zero’ emissions means that any remaining emissions of greenhouse}
_{gases (GHGs) will be balanced by removals from the atmosphere.}^‘¹

Whilst the DCE partners will need to lead many of the actions, this is a Plan for everybody in Devon. Delivering net-zero will require all sectors of Devon’s society to do their bit – every organisation and community have their own sphere of influence, capacity, know-how and opportunities to contribute to achieving the Plan’s goals.

2.3 How the Plan was Produced

2.3.1 The Net-Zero Task Force

The partnership convened a Net-Zero Task Force of 15 volunteer specialists to steer the creation of the Plan. They are drawn from business, community, environmental and academic organisations and the Task Force is chaired by Professor Patrick Devine-Wright of the University of Exeter.

*Figure 2.2 – Members of the Net-Zero Task Force attending their first meeting.*

2.3.2 Gathering Ideas and Evidence

A public call for evidence requested ideas on how to achieve net-zero emissions and six thematic hearings (meetings) were held for experts to contribute their thoughts on the barriers to reaching net-zero and what actions are necessary to overcome them.

Devon Youth Parliament hosted a climate summit attended by 75 students to gather their ideas and about how Devon and their schools could become net-zero.

The Devon Youth Parliament Climate Summit in full swing. — *Figure 2.3 – Devon’s Youth Parliament Climate Summit.*

2.3.3 Devon Climate Assembly

The initial expectation was to publish a single version of the Devon Carbon Plan following an opportunity for more controversial issues for achieving net-zero to have been considered by a Devon Climate Assembly – a 70-strong panel of residents that represented the profile of Devon’s population.

However, this was cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions and, instead, an Interim Carbon Plan was published for consultation in December 2020 containing actions that are less difficult to deliver and are more publicly acceptable. This enabled the partners to start accelerating delivery together during the pandemic.

The more challenging issues for achieving net-zero in Devon were then considered by the Assembly in summer 2021. The partners developed responses to the Assembly’s recommendations and consulted on these with the public in spring 2022. The findings of the consultations and the recommendations from the Assembly both inform this updated Plan.

This process is shown in Figure 2.4.

The process for developing the Devon Carbon Plan, which began in October 2019 and completed in August 2022. — *Figure 2.4 – Process for Developing the Devon Carbon Plan.*

2.4 The Plan’s Approach

Each themed section of this Plan:

Describes what needs to happen in Devon to achieve the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) Further Ambition Scenario for net-zero by 2050 – irrespective of the current legislative or financing environment.

Displays the trajectory of production emissions to 2050. (See Section 3.2 for an explanation of production emissions).

Introduces a set of goals which need to be realised to achieve the CCC net-zero scenario.

Proposes strategic-level actions to achieve the goals, identified by specialists, the public and the members of the Devon Climate Assembly.

All actions are collated in the Action Table, which also gives each a prioritisation score and indicates who is most likely to help deliver each action, when it should happen, where the action should take place and the anticipated funding status.

2.5 How to Use the Plan

There’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved – no single organisation or group of organisations can make Devon net-zero.

Individuals reading this Plan can take a look at the Quick Read version, which translates the goals and strategic actions into activities that are more relevant to our everyday lives.

Organisations and communities are encouraged to join the partners in reviewing the goals and actions to decide which are most relevant to their areas of influence and use these to create their own climate change action plan. Activities can be shared with the partnership and showcased on the website and the monthly newsletter via environmentalpolicy@devon.gov.uk, or you can find the Devon Climate Emergency on social media.

2.6 The Plan’s Principles

In developing the Plan, the following principles have been applied. Many of these principles are based on messages the Net-Zero Task Force heard in the Call for Evidence and the Thematic Hearings. These principles must also be considered when implementing each action.

Achieving net-zero is not optional; it is essential.
The role of this Plan is to map out all of the change needed, even if some are not possible yet.
The Plan needs to reflect the specific qualities and characteristics of Devon in planning for net-zero.
Although this is a Plan for Devon, it also seeks common cause with other areas of the country facing similar challenges to reach net-zero, and will seek to work with them to make finding the right solutions more efficient and effective.
All actions must deliver carbon reductions across their life cycle; cradle to grave.
Multiple benefits for health, well-being and resilience of communities and nature must be delivered.
The term ‘emergency’ should have due consideration given to it. Any activities incompatible with the net-zero target must be reconsidered.
The implementation of the plan must be democratic and involve communities, so not ‘done to’ people.
A just and affordable transition is required to ensure that:
1. Vulnerable and low-income segments of society and rural communities are not disadvantaged.
2. The differing impacts of climate change on different groups e.g. disabled, minorities, gender, are addressed.
3. Actions to decarbonise Devon must not be at the expense of other communities or ecology globally.
Significant behaviour change must be recognised as a necessity.
We must reframe our local economy to move beyond using economic growth as the single measure of success.
The Plan must recognise the varying geography of Devon, including the importance of linkage and networks.
Spatial planning has a clear role to reorganise society towards net-zero living:
1. Ensuring that new development strongly contributes to the transformation required to achieve Net-Zero.
2. The importance of ‘place’ and people’s connection to a location has to be a priority in all future development.
3. Spatial planning and transport planning need to be better linked. Relocalisation should be an organising principle wherever it can assist achieving net-zero.
4. A net-zero Devon needs to recognise the importance of rural areas in delivering net-zero not only for their communities, but also the growing importance of the resources and services they provide for larger towns and cities, including ecosystem services. Therefore, a more balanced emphasis is required between spatial planning for urban and rural areas.
Resources, energy, and mobility, should be considered in a hierarchy:
1. Avoid where possible, reduce resource and energy consumption and the need to travel
2. Improve the efficiency of our use of resources and energy, e.g. reusing, recycling, insulating buildings and active and shared travel modes
3. Use renewable and low-carbon resources, e.g. timber, solar power and ultra-low emission vehicles.
We must be innovative and dynamic in our pursuit of a net-zero Devon, sometimes leading and steering policy and action ahead of national initiatives.
We must collaborate to make use of a range of financing opportunities, e.g.
1. Find financially viable, self-sustaining solutions and work with the private sector to develop these.
2. Work with national government to develop public-sector support.
3. Community investment.
The implementation of this Plan will be monitored regularly, and a review will be triggered if carbon emissions are not reducing at the necessary pace.

2.7 References

¹ Climate Change Committee (2019) Net Zero – The UK’s Contribution to Stopping Global Warming. Available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero-the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warming/

Introduction

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