South Tyneside to be overtaken by Climate Summit Week next month

Members of South Tyneside Council’s Cabinet at South Shields Town Hall

South Tyneside Council will put a spotlight on the environment next month as they throw a Climate Summit Week.

The council will host a programme of eco-minded events targeted at the community, businesses and schools.

The council has pledged to cut its emissions by 4,285 tonnes by March 2023 and is currently two-thirds of the way towards achieving that figure.

It all kicks off on Monday, November 1 and runs until Friday, November 5 to coincide with COP-26.

COP-26 is the United Nation's 26th annual climate change conference.

This year's COP-26 summit is being hosted in Glasgow.

The Climate Summit Week hopes to focus on the council's work to fight climate change and educate residents on how they have a role to play.

Events including film screenings, litter picks, vegan food tasting and whale watching are all on the cards.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “In 2019 we set ourselves the target of becoming a carbon-neutral council by 2030 and our climate change strategy is now embedded in everything we do, from how we procure goods and services, to installing solar panels on schools or developing an ever-growing network of electric vehicle charging points.

“Our Climate Summit Week is an opportunity to highlight what the council is doing to deliver on our pledge – for example, our three highly innovative renewable energy networks which will collectively cut annual carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.

“But we are also championing a carbon-neutral future for the whole borough and it’s vital that residents come on that journey with us.

“There will be a whole host of events, activities, displays and challenges for people to get involved with. We’ll also be running a social media campaign with advice and tips on how residents can reduce their carbon footprint – small, realistic steps such as turning the tap off whilst brushing your teeth.”

The councillor labelled investing in the environment as one of the council's "key priorities" and outlined a commitment of planting 3,000 trees a year.

She added: “We’ve made good progress but there is more to be done, working in partnership with residents and businesses, to create a greener future for us all.”