ACTIVITIES aimed at tackling climate change in the Wee County have saved more than 37,000 tonnes of carbon, said the local authority.

With the COP26 conference set to wrap up by the end of this week in Glasgow, Clackmannanshire Council has highlighted ongoing work in reducing emissions and helping households save money.

The local authority said a programme of school classroom upgrades, investment in digital technology and housing energy efficiency projects are making substantial inroads into reducing carbon emissions.

Private sector households have also been benefitting from improvements, including external wall insulation and solar PV systems through Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme.

The scheme has delivered £769,576 of energy efficiency improvements and the Scottish Government has awarded more than £653,000 this year for homeowners experiencing failed insulation and high energy bills.

Support from the council's Home Energy Advice Team has also been helping residents living in, or at risk of, fuel poverty.

The team has provided more than £2.5million of savings for people in fuel debt and poverty, accumulating more than 37,345 tonnes of lifetime carbon savings.

Cllr Craig Holden, spokesman for environment and housing, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the work that my colleagues have done to support the people of Clackmannanshire to reduce fuel poverty, improve the energy efficiency of their homes and enable greater access to the fantastic natural environment we have on our doorstep.

“There is no doubt that the climate emergency will have a profound impact on the way we live.

“Changes we make now will help reduce this impact and help Clackmannanshire do its bit towards saving the planet.”

The Wee County has declared a climate emergency earlier in August with elected representatives seeking to challenge the view that “it's somebody else's problem”.

Clacks is to have its very own and comprehensive climate change strategy within the next 10 months with Cllr Ellen Forson explaining at the time: “For me, we need local action for a global problem and there has to be an understanding that climate change is much more than how we deal with waste and much more about how we deal with energy.

“Declaring a climate emergency here today will not magically resolve the matter but it will set out a marker of our intentions to take meaningful action at a local level and signal our intention and our commitment here in Clackmannanshire to achieve net zero by 2045 and thus playing our part in the global challenge.”

For home energy advice, visit clacks.gov.uk/housing/energyadvice/ and clackscab.org.uk/services/local-energy-advice-project-leap.