Truro City Council has a new Zero Carbon Officer. Amelia Sharp joined the team in April and is looking forward to working with local residents and businesses to tackle climate change.  

Amelia moved with her family from Plymouth to Truro as a teenager, and attended Richard Lander School and then Truro College. 

“I have always been interested in the environment and, in recent years, have become more and more aware of the importance of sustainability and the need for everyone to work together to save our planet” she explained. 

It was while attending an Extinction Rebellion protest at County Hall that Amelia, then a student at Truro College, was asked a question by the late Edwina Hannaford, then Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, that would lead to her future career path. 

“She asked me what I wanted the council to do. I suddenly realised that while I knew lots of the theory about climate change and sustainability, I had very little practical experience on how to tackle these issues, and I needed to change this.”

Last year, Amelia completed a degree in geography at the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus, which included a dissertation on tree cover in Cornwall and a summer internship for a geothermal company in Falmouth.

She is delighted with her new role as the city council’s Zero Carbon Officer. “I knew that I wanted a career which used my skills, qualifications and experience but I also needed to do something which would enable me to make some real, tangible change.

“Cornwall is both incredibly beautiful and incredibly vulnerable, with its coastal towns, heath and moors and farmland at serious risk from the impacts of climate change. 

“My role gives me the opportunity to work with individuals and communities to develop effective and practical actions to respond to the climate and ecological emergencies we are all facing.”

The City Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and is committed to emitting net zero carbon by 2030. As well as implementing measures to reduce its own carbon emissions, including the introduction of energy efficient lighting in the community library building and reducing the use of paper in its offices, the authority encourages all staff and councillors to promote and enhance sustainability, protect nature and increase biodiversity. 

Amelia is working to spread awareness among staff and gather information about current practices to shape recommendations on the next steps to help the authority meet its zero carbon goal. This will include a carbon audit to calculate emissions and form the basis of a seven-year action plan.

“We have a lot of work to do, but I’m confident that by working with partners, residents and businesses, we have the drive and skills to get there,” said Amelia.