Delivering on the Natural Environment through the 5 Year Environment Plan
We face major environmental challenges that threaten the health and prosperity of our region. Greater Manchester is taking action with the 5-Year Environment Plan, to be launched at the Mayors Green Summit on 25th March.
The plan sets out our long-term environmental vision – to be carbon neutral by 2038 – and the urgent actions we all need to take in the next 5 years to help achieve this. It is the outcome 12-months consultation and collaboration with all parts of the Greater Manchester family and the Summit is an opportunity to galvanise this commitment and unify our actions.
Whilst tickets for the Green Summit have now all sold out, it will be livestreamed on the day and the link will be available via this event page link in due course. In the meantime, please read our Greater Manchester Springboard to a Green City Region report so you can see the results of the last Green Summit and our current actions for this year.
As Defra’s Urban Pioneer City, we are developing new models to manage and improve our environment. This includes designing and testing innovative natural capital approaches to support sustainable economic growth e.g. improved water management through the Natural Course project or supporting City of Trees `City Park’ initiative.
Greater Manchester is the first city-region in the UK to develop a Natural Capital Investment Plan - a plan that will help us encourage investment in our natural environment to secure financial and social returns. The 3 year IGNITION project funded by the EU’s Urban Innovative Action Fund (subject to approval) will look to support the delivery of green and blue infrastructure including a range of climate adaptation projects such as green roofs, green walls and urban tree planting.
Our Natural Capital Group, the Local Nature Partnership for Greater Manchester, acts as an ambassador for the natural environment and consists of representatives from the public, private and third sectors. The Natural Capital Group provides advice to the Combined Authority on strategic natural environment issues including delivery of the Climate Change and Low Emission Implementation Plan and development of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.
The outcomes of our work extends beyond the environment to supporting the alleviation of fuel poverty, improving health, reducing flood risk, creating green jobs and, ultimately, creating quality places where people want to live, work and play. This focus on sustainability in its broadest sense forms part of a GM wide engagement/dialogue which is leading up to the delivery of the Green City Summit.
Find out more about Greater Manchester Low Carbon Hub and how businesses, universities and the public sector are working together on carbon reduction and low carbon growth at:
gmlowcarbonhub.com - external site
@GMLowcarbonhub – on Twitter #GMGreenCity
lch@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
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Contributor Profile
Natural Capital Co-ordinator, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Krista has over 20-years’ experience of working as an environmental planner in the public, private and community sectors and joined the Greater Manchester Combined Authority as Natural Capital Coordinator in 2016.
