Five years ago Falkirk Council signed up to the Scottish Climate Change Declaration.

Now the Council tops the public league table for reducing its carbon emissions across Scotland and is tenth highest out of all UK local authorities.

The Scottish Climate Change Declaration was signed by all 32 Scottish Local Authorities in January 2007 demonstrating a commitment to take early action on climate change.

Councillor Doctor Craig R Martin, Convener of Environment and Community Safety said: “We’ve come a long way in a short space of time. Climate change cannot be ignored, its happening and we see its effects on a daily basis. As a large organisation we can take the lead, show that by making small changes in the way we deliver our services by cutting carbon emissions but also making sure our services are resilient to severe weather events by having robust contingency plans in place.”

The Falkirk Council area wide carbon footprint reduced by 17% between 2005 and 2009 compared to a 12% reduction in Scotland.