We want to transform our region’s economy and support healthy, resilient communities by making big changes through climate action. 

Our Strategy for a Sustainable Future is at the heart of these goals and will ensure York and North Yorkshire becomes England’s first carbon negative region by 2040. 

What our Strategy for a Sustainable Future means for you

• Clean, Affordable & Reliable Power 

• Comfortable, Efficient Buildings 

• Accessible, Convenient Transport 

• Innovative, Sustainable Businesses 

• Resilient Landscapes, Sustainable Food & Farming 

• Healthy Marine & Coastal Environment 

• Empowered Community Action 

How we’ll achieve this

The Strategy for a Sustainable Future was adopted by the Combined Authority in November 2026 and was the result of close collaboration and development with our key partners. 

These partners include businesses, sustainability-focussed community organisations and our regional authorities - City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council – as well as key stakeholders across energy, transport, industry, housing, and farming. 

The Strategy was also subject of an eight-week public consultation process in 2026.  

Our ambition will be unlocked through our four strategic pillars on which we’ll continue to collaborate to build the successful transformation to a low-carbon economy and healthy, thriving communities. 

Our four strategic pillars

• Securing energy independence: Our Local Area Energy Plans demonstrate we can produce enough renewable energy right here to power our region and beyond. This will minimise vulnerability to global energy markets and help lower energy bills for households and businesses, while supporting national energy security. ​ 

• Moving towards a circular economy: A thriving circular economy would keep products and materials in use, whilst eliminating waste and pollution​. We’ll move away from the “take-make-dispose” model and ensure materials stay circulating within our economy. This means reducing supply chain waste and supporting manufacturing products to last longer, while switching to using more sustainable materials. 

• Enhancing our environment​: We believe we should be putting more back into the earth than we take out. We’ll support restoring, preserving, and harnessing nature to improve biodiversity, capture carbon, and support climate resilience​. 

• Building our Climate Resilience: Our county is increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, flooding, wildfires, and droughts threatening our communities, farmers, infrastructure, and economy. It is vital we embed long-term thinking, through climate adaptation measures, so York and North Yorkshire can continue to thrive in the face of a changing climate. 

Through practices like regenerative agriculture and nature restoration we can improve access to beautiful spaces, produce healthier locally grown food, and increase climate resilience.

Need to know more? Watch our webinar

What next?

YNYCA will continue working with partners to deliver the Strategy and ensure it is embedded across the region.