Merton Council, one of the country’s leading authorities on environmental issues, starts a public consultation today with residents as well as the wider community about how everyone can play their part in tackling climate change. This follows Cabinet agreement on the council’s draft climate change strategy in December.

The United Nations last month agreed to launch negotiations towards an international climate change deal, highlighting the issue as a global challenge, which needs to be addressed. Following several months of research into climate change and how best to tackle it, Merton Council is inviting the local community to have their say about how it can be best tackled at a local level.

Forming the next step in the council’s efforts to adapt to and address climate change, the strategy has eight themes and presents to residents a list of realistic and simple actions they can take to help protect our environment for the future. The themes are environmental education, energy, waste, planning and development, water, transport, procurement and fair trade and city knowledge.

Merton Council’s cabinet member for the environment and traffic management Councillor Tariq Ahmad said: “The environment, with particular emphasis on climate change, has long been at the heart of policy in Merton. Combating global climate change can often seem a daunting and impossible task. Our strategy is about how the many small actions that we are all able to take can make a huge collective difference.

“We are always keen to encourage dialogue between residents and the council. We want Merton residents and the wider community to let us know how easy they find the climate change strategy to read and understand, whether or not it has addressed all the issues that they think are important and what they feel about the actions contained in the strategy. We are also asking them to suggest other ideas for consideration. One of our key aims is for individuals to take ownership of the strategy and feel that they have the power to change their environment for the better. Tackling climate change is no longer a nice to do – it is a must do and the responsibility lies with all of us.”

To find out more about the consultation and to download the strategy, visit http://www.merton.gov.uk/climatechange and to make comments and ask questions email climatechange@merton.gov.uk or telephone 020 8545 3380.