More than 20 electric charging points and £1.75 million in home energy improvements are some of the ways East Cambridgeshire believe will help cut carbon emissions.

A climate café and reducing paper use by 20 per cent are also part of East Cambridgeshire District Council’s (ECDC latest 20-point plan to achieve net carbon zero by 2040.

According to the council, its plan has helped save more than 76 tonnes of carbon since 2019 in its attempts to improve the natural environment.

Councillor Julia Huffer, chair of ECDC’s operational services committee, said: “By working together with residents, we have an opportunity to be at the forefront of the green agenda.

“We will do this by coming up with practical, creative and environmentally-friendly ways that I am confident will take us on a journey to be net carbon zero by 2040.”

Government figures show the carbon footprint for Cambridgeshire in 2019 was 7.3m tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent, with 29pc spread across land use, land use change and forestry.

The latest plan from ECDC includes taking direct action to reduce the council’s own emissions and supporting others to reduce theirs.

Some of the points the council will look at for 2022-23 are:

  • Delivering 24 electric vehicle charging points in three East Cambridgeshire car parks;

  • A return of the ‘Create an Orchard’ programme which aims to capture carbon while creating at least 26 publicly accessible orchards across the district;

  • Working with East Cambridgeshire Partnership Forum to set up a climate café where anyone with an interest in the environment can meet up to discuss new ideas for addressing climate change;

  • A commitment to make home energy improvements worth £1.75m to its existing housing stock.

Cllr Anna Bailey, leader of ECDC, said: “We are really pleased to see our carbon emissions starting to come down, despite the ongoing challenges we have all faced recently.

“It’s important that despite these issues we don’t lose sight of the huge challenge we face around climate change and reversing biodiversity loss.”

She added: “By reducing our fossil fuel consumption through better home insulation or driving less, we can help offset those higher prices as well as doing our bit to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.”

You can download the latest action plan here: https://bit.ly/3P9gxPc.