A health action plan to support vulnerable residents during heatwaves is one of the key points in a new climate action report for Oxfordshire.
The plan also includes the imminent completion of the street lighting LED replacement programme, anticipated to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by 70 per cent, and save around £75 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.
Details of the climate action programme were noted by Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet.
The three pillars of the plan are becoming a climate active council, decarbonising the council’s estate and operations by 2030, and enabling Oxfordshire’s transition to net zero.
Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council with responsibility for climate change, environment and future generations, said: "We choose to lead on climate and to put it at the heart of everything we do because that is what this situation requires.
“Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity and public bodies need to be on a war footing to tackle it. However, alongside this threat comes the opportunity to do things in a better, more sustainable way – heralding an end to pollution, an enhanced natural world and a fourth industrial revolution."
A scheme to help schools improve their energy efficiency has been extended to 2024-25.
The council has also been providing home upgrade grants for low-income residents.
The planning for extreme heat is being tackled through the development of the heat health action plan.
Mr Sudbury added: "We need co-ordinated action, both preventative and reactive, across all our areas of responsibility including emergency planning, highways, fire and rescue, flooding, public health and local nature recovery."
The council is in the process of developing a toolkit to help decision makers improve climate adaptation and resilience.
There has also been work to develop bespoke climate adaptation action plans for council-maintained schools to reduce flooding and overheating.
The report measures progress towards enabling Oxfordshire’s transition to net zero by monitoring scenarios in the Pathway to Zero Carbon document.
While most of these measures are not within the council’s direct control, it says it is able to "influence a significant number of them".
Mr Sudbury added: "None of us are alone in this.
"There is a huge swell of energy, focus and determination across all sectors of our society to make the fundamental changes needed to survive and thrive, ending the pollution and destruction of the only planet we have.
"We need to work fast and hard and above all we need to work together."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here