Hampshire council joins network to demand cash for climate change support

The newly formed Countryside Climate Network is calling for a slice of the delayed £100bn infrastructure fund to boost biodiversity, lower emissions and find more ‘sustainable solutions’ for rural areas.

Group chairman Councillor Steve Count, who is leader of Cambridgeshire Council, said: ‘We’re frustrated that climate solutions and green recovery packages haven’t found the right balance, largely missing the rural voice.

‘It can be hard to meet our sustainable ambitions when urban areas have no need to fund essential bus services to remote communities or invest in broadband because the market doesn’t reach isolated areas.

‘These examples of typical rural disadvantages add up, combined with a funding gap in rural areas twice that of our urban counterparts, means our stretched resources are diminished making the challenge of funding sustainable solutions even harder.’

According to the Committee on Climate Change, agriculture, land use and peatlands account for 12 per cent of overall UK emissions. And agriculture is responsible for 88 per cent of ammonia gas emissions, which form harmful fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution.

In a letter sent by the group to government this week it said: ‘Our rural communities are at the front line of feeling the effects of climate change. The driest of springs follows a winter of floods. Damaging our food production, bringing hardship to our villages and towns. But we can also be at the forefront of climate action too.

‘The countryside offers far more than a place to plant millions of trees to offset carbon emissions from elsewhere.'

Cllr Keith Mans, leader of Hampshire County Council, added: ‘At Hampshire County Council, we have put action on climate change at the forefront of our agenda.

‘Climate change has already had a significant impact in Hampshire - flooding and extreme weather events alone have caused physical or financial damage with far reaching consequences for us as an authority and for our communities.’

It comes as housebuilding was stalled in parts of south Hampshire due to harmful nitrates from farmland causing damage to wildlife in the Solent.

The Countryside Climate Network was established by UK100, a network of local leaders that campaigns on climate change.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.