The Isle of Man Government has launched an online portal for all Isle of Man residents and businesses to join the discussion and have their say on how the Island can do its part to tackle Climate Change.
Residents are encouraged to submit their ideas through the online portal.
A small number of hard copies will also soon be made available at the Isle of Man Welcome Centre and a number of libraries around the Island.
The online portal was launched following two Climate Change workshops held on Thursday 19 September by Isle of Man Government in which delegates from industry and the community were invited to take part. The focus of the workshops was to provide an update on the progress in developing a Climate Change Action Plan, to provide a face-to-face opportunity for delegates to speak with members of the Climate Emergency Consultative Transformation Team and most importantly provide delegates with an opportunity to feed-in their thoughts and ideas on what actions the Island could take to reduce emissions.
During the workshops the audience heard from Archibald Elliott of the Isle of Man Student Climate Network and Professor James Curran, Independent Chair of the Climate Emergency Consultative Transformation Team following which attendees were invited to speak with members of the team and share their thoughts on subjects under various headings, such as transport, waste, energy, agriculture, residential and land use.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK commented:
‘It is encouraging to see so many people engaging on the subject of Climate Change. There was a great response during the workshops and we are already seeing initial feedback on the online portal.
‘The Isle of Man must play its part as a responsible global partner as we consider innovative approaches to supporting people to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient. The Island’s approach will be ambitious and seek to be a demonstration of good practice.’
Earlier this summer the Chief Minister made a commitment for the Isle of Man to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and for a Climate Change Bill to be laid before Tynwald in this legislative year.
Following an eight week consultation process run by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) between 19 March and 17 May this year on options for possible inclusion in a new Climate Change Mitigation Strategy for 2020-2030, these workshops gave delegates the opportunity to directly contribute ideas to the Climate Emergency Consultative Transformation Team and the action plan which in-turn will help shape the Island’s response to Climate Change.
