Councillors will ask people throughout the county, including groups of young and older people, to help shape the plan, which will include actions covering the next 40 years.
The Council has been steadily reducing its carbon footprint for several years at the same time as adapting to the impacts of inevitable future climate changes.
It has already made substantial progress in the purchasing ‘green' electricity, and reducing its energy use and carbon footprint, which has resulted in a 14 per cent saving over the past five years (see notes for editors).
But it is hoped the new strategy will galvanise many initiatives under one project so that work is more efficient, effective and target-driven.
As well as committing to formulate the strategy, members also agreed that the Council should become a formal signatory to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change and to join the South East Climate Change Partnership, at this week's meeting of the Cabinet.
The Nottingham Declaration, which has now been signed by 230 councils and is endorsed by Central Government, acknowledges that climate change is happening and that it will have far reaching effects on the UK's economy, society and environment.
The South East Climate Change Partnership is a broad alliance of public, voluntary and private sector organisations, whose mission is to investigate, inform and advise on the threats and opportunities arising from the impacts of climate change in South East England.
A project board will now draw up a strategy and action plan, which is planned to be in place within 12 months. It will also look at working with partners and residents to reduce their own carbon emissions.
Deputy Leader Councillor Tony Reid, who will chair the board, said: "Global warming is the biggest long-term threat to our prosperity and well-being, and there is a pivotal role for councils in tackling climate change. Our Climate Change Strategy will enable us to take a systematic approach that will establish carbon reduction and resilience to climate change at the centre of all our service delivery.
"It will commit us to working with our partners in the public and private sectors – and, importantly, residents of a broad age range – to find better ways of working that address this issue of immense significance to all. I hope that every local authority in the country and beyond will shortly commit to a strategy to tackle climate change in the way that this County Council has."
Download a copy of the report to Cabinet here: Cabinet meeting papers, 11 March 2008
Further information
East Sussex County Council's actions to tackle climate change, include installing one of the largest biomass boilers in Britain (1 megawatt output) in its school at Crowborough, thus saving 600 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum.
In addition, it has won numerous "Green Apple" and other sustainability awards, culminating in the "Public Sector Commitment to Carbon Reduction" category in the 2007 South East Low Carbon Awards.
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