Lincolnshire County Council is considering removing its 2050 carbon neutral target.

In a report to the council’s executive, Cllr Chris Miller, the local authority’s Head of Environment, writes that the ‘commitment to carbon neutrality (“Net Zero”) is an unachievable target’.

The report was presented in a meeting of the council’s environment scrutiny committee last Friday, which heard the recommendation that a new draft Environment Policy is adopted in place of the local authority’s current Green Masterplan.

According to Cllr Miller, the new revised policy will avoid taxpayers incurring unnecessary costs, as well as limiting waste and increasing the efficiency of council operations.

The report argues that a clear funding strategy for councils has not been provided to support the existing 2050 net zero target, which is a ‘burden to local taxpayers’.

‘We will not focus on the attainment of such a long-term target whilst the costs of projects are unsustainable’, the document reads.

It also objects to the delivery of infrastructure projects such as on-shore windfarms, solar panels, and electricity pylons, arguing that such initiatives ‘change the character of the Lincolnshire landscape from one of rural beauty to an industrial landscape’, as well as negatively impacting the region’s agricultural land and communities.

The new plan pledges to enhance Lincolnshire’s natural landscape, while also improving resource use, supporting travel methods, and reducing waste.

However, Cllr Ashley Baxter said that the move would mean taking a step backwards and that a lot of the information included about the council’s environmental policies in the report is ‘pretty vacuous’.

It has been requested by Cllr Miller that the revised policy is considered by the committee ahead of the executive’s decision on March 3.