Climate change

What we are doing about climate change

To help limit the impact of climate change, we:

declared a climate change emergency.
are taking all necessary steps to make the Council carbon neutral by 2030 (25% reduction by March 2023 and a 50% reduction by March 2025).
are a champion for a carbon neutral future for South Tyneside. This includes using our advocacy role to influence actions that promote carbon reductions, across all our communities and the region.
asked the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council to write to the government to pass the necessary legislation, and provide the rights and resources needed to deliver our climate change goals.
created a climate change strategy and action plan.
prepare a Sustainable South Tyneside annual update for full Council every year, setting out performance against agreed targets and recommending any changes to the published action plan.
make sure that all Council strategic decisions, policies and strategies are in line with the move to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
produced a Green Economic Recovery Plan.

Our pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030 refers to the carbon emissions from:

Some of the work we have done to reduce emissions includes:

implemented the Overview: A renewable energy scheme that harnesses low-grade heat from the River Tyne to heat a number of Council buildings
implemented the Hebburn Renewable Energy Scheme: A scheme that provides renewable heat to a large leisure facility and a high-rise residential block, with future network expansion opportunities
installed solar panels to a number of Council buildings
delivered a significant improvement programme of LED upgrades to street lighting, with continued capital investment taking place
building modernisation and retrofit improvement programmes
installed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units at some of our highest consuming sites
expanded our fleet of electric vehicles
trialled an electric refuse collection vehicle for our waste services to gain a better understanding of requirements and opportunities going forward
provided online climate change training for our staff
delivering a significant building rationalisation programme

Our strategy goes beyond our direct carbon emissions, looking at how we can:

To protect our environment and tackle climate change, we have made improvements to:

continue to plant at least 3,000 trees a year
supported the North East Community Forest
undertaken saltmarsh restoration, working with the Tyne Estuary Partnership
continue to manage our Local Nature Reserves to protect and enhance their biodiversity
planted a Tiny Forest, a densely packed native forest roughly the size of a tennis court, with a local school.
launched COAST South Tyneside, raising awareness of the challenges faced by coastline wildlife and to encourage wildlife positive behaviours.

worked with schools to raise awareness on climate change, creating a Climate Change Toolkit for Schools, giving workshops and talks, and running competitions
started training our Elected Members and staff to be Carbon Literate
supported local businesses with our Business Climate Change Toolkit
joined Net Zero North East England to collaborate and accelerate our decarbonisation across the region
provided work experience to students from the borough to help gain experience in the Environmental Sustainability sector

continue to support South Tyneside's Sustainable Food Partnership
provided fruit trees to schools across the borough
worked with pupils and school caterers on reducing our food waste and low-carbon menus
supported energy-efficient cooking programmes with our VCSE partners

improved the energy efficiency of residential accommodation, focusing on areas with the highest fuel poverty levels in the Borough
supported the launch of the Home Energy Advice NE service, to provide in-person advice to residents across the region for underserved communities, and hard-to-treat properties
embedded social value in procurement

continue to lead on the Stronger Shores coastal adaptation project
completed flood alleviation schemes in Monkton and Cleadon
retrofitted Sustainable Drainage Schemes at two primary schools
completed a property flood resilience scheme in the Stanhope Road area
completed the A183 Coast Road realignment to protect the road from erosion risk and prolong the lifespan of the coastal route
continuing to protect South Tyneside against flood and coastal changes.

Our future plans include:

The Middlefields Energy Scheme: The scheme will provide on-site renewable electricity energy generation to key Council buildings
continuing to upgrade old and inefficient street lights to LEDs
an awareness and engagement programme to increase understanding of climate change across the Borough, and highlight what can be done to reduce its worst effects
Investigating expansion opportunities for our heat networks
Developing a Heat Decarbonisation Strategy
Phased upgrades of our electric vehicle charging network

For more information about what are doing and what we plan to do about climate change, read our climate change strategy and action plan.