EALING Council has formally adopted its Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy.

This will see a wide range of measures introduced across the borough in order to tackle the climate threats posed at a local level.

The aim is for the borough to become carbon neutral by the end of the decade.

This will be achieved both through reducing the council's own emissions and improving the air quality across the borough.

The council is also working with community groups to launch a virtual climate action hub next month.

The strategy outlines four key areas of action:

Energy: The council will retrofit over 20 of its own buildings, upgrade its housing stock to decarbonise heat and improve energy efficiency and help residents cut their bills.

Transport: Space for active transport is being increased, so that walking and cycling become the preferred ways for residents to make all short journeys.

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Rollout of electric vehicle charging points is also continuing, with the aim of having all residents within a five-minute walk of a charging point by 2025.

Green infrastructure: Community led projects and initiatives will see nature and biodiversity prioritised through projects.

Waste: The council will work to support waste minimisation for residents and businesses, while improving Greener Ealing rubbish and recycling operations by converting vehicles to low emission and electric power.

Councillor Jasbir Anand, cabinet member for environment and climate action said: "In 2018 the UN reported that we had 12 years left to act on climate change to avoid a global disaster, which is why we declared a climate emergency, taken bold and ambitious steps to become carbon neutral by 2030 and become a much more environmentally-friendly borough in the near future.

"Many of the adjustments we need to make to combat climate change can result in hugely positive changes in other areas of our lives and these are known as co-benefits.

"This could range from planting more trees in local green spaces which will benefit local people as well as the environment, to reducing the number of short car journeys we make in the borough, which will improve people's health and improve air quality.

"Addressing climate change is not a challenge the council can face alone – it requires everyone in the borough to commit to a new vision of our future and delivers many benefits for our communities, health and economy.

"Acting now on climate change will dramatically improve the council's environmental performance and help to protect current and future residents from the impacts of climate change in the future."