Flintshire leads in celebrating Wales Climate Week

Flintshire County Council spearheaded a series of impactful events last week as part of Wales Climate Week 2023.

These events were among many throughout Wales, all united under the theme ‘How do we tackle climate change in a fair way?’.

In a bid to foster public engagement, Flintshire County Council, alongside Denbighshire County Council’s Climate Team, Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, Natural Resources Wales, and Biogen, hosted interactive sessions at Ruthin Market Hall and Wepre Park.

These events aimed to raise awareness of climate and nature emergencies and involved the community in discussions about ongoing efforts to address them.

Attendees engaged in activities to calculate their carbon footprints and learned simple, accessible actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as washing clothes at lower temperatures.

A key feature of the week was the Welsh Government’s ‘Climate Conversations’ consultation. The public was invited to share their thoughts on how emissions could be reduced in a fair manner and how they could be involved in climate action.

These conversations, covering topics from public transport to waste management, were not only informative but also a vital opportunity for residents to have their voices heard.

The feedback from these sessions will inform both the Welsh Government’s Just Transition Framework and the development of Flintshire County Council’s climate action plans.

A highlight of the week was a tree-planting event at Flint solar farm.

Over 300 trees were planted by Flintshire County Council staff and volunteers from Equans, the company that installed the solar farm.

This initiative, planned following damage from Storm Arwen in 2021, aims to create a shelterbelt to protect the solar farm from heavy winds and contribute to climate change mitigation and biodiversity enhancement.

The tree planting aligns with Flintshire County Council’s Urban Tree and Woodland Plan, targeting an 18% urban canopy cover by 2030.

This ambitious goal will be achieved through substantial new planting and maintaining existing canopy cover, including replacement planting where necessary.

Member for Environment, Councillor David Healey, said: “The climate and nature emergencies are significant challenges we face today and in the future. It is exciting to see Flintshire County Council collaborating with Denbighshire County Council, Biogen and Natural Resources Wales for Wales Climate Week to engage with members of the public providing support, understanding and the opportunity to voice their thoughts on how climate change can be tackled in a fair way. This all builds towards a better future and we look forward to next year’s event.”