Climate and nature strategy

Climate and nature plans

Here in Adur and Worthing we are committed to tackling climate change and protecting our natural environment. The councils declared a climate emergency in 2019 and set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030. We also signed the UK 100 pledge for the whole area of Adur and Worthing to reach Net Zero by 2045.

The SustainableAW 2021-23 action plan addressed some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing all of us, including climate change, the loss of natural habitats, unnecessary waste and poor air quality. Our aim was to ensure everyone in our community is able to enjoy green spaces and access affordable, clean energy and transport.

SustainableAW 2021-2023, the new SustainableAW Framework (published July 2021) (1,216KB)

New action plans

In 2023-24, the councils will be developing a range of new action plans to support the commitments put forward in Our Plan (link). We will be working to achieve:

action now achieves a fair transition to Net Zero Carbon by 2045
resilience to climate change and increased biodiversity by restoring natural habitats
a circular economy is created, one that minimises waste and keeps materials in use
places are designed for people and nature; they are clean, safe and feel looked after
active travel is easy, with opportunities for walking, cycling and public transport

Council for the community

The launch of the revised SustainableAW climate and nature plan followed an extensive period of engagement with council officers and the wider community, with over 60 actions being put forward and over 200 organisations involved in the process.

In March 2020, we worked in partnership with Worthing Climate Action Network and Transition Town Worthing to hold the Zero 2030 Community Climate Conference. For the resources from the Climate Conference see:

Zero 2030 - on the FuturEcoLogic website

The plan also helped to address many of the eighteen recommendations which were put forward at the Adur & Worthing Climate Assembly in Autumn 2020. This was an important and useful new type of democracy that the councils engaged in to listen to and understand the views of local residents towards climate change. Find out more about the: