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Every petrol and diesel car and vehicle will be banned from all roads across the West Midlands in 20 years time under a suggested new controversial £40bn climate plan revealed today.

The plan also includes the creation of a national park and that a new tree will be planted for each of the near three million people living in the region.

The #WM2041 document includes a series of recommendations to help the region meet the target of a zero-carbon economy by 2041 and has been published by the combined authority in response to the 'climate emergency'.

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Encouraging more active travel, cleaner transport, infrastructure changes to support electric vehicles and the transition to more eco-friendly homes, the plan is the first of its kind in the country, acting as a blueprint for the region as it seeks to move away from reliance on fossil fuels and toward a renewable future.

But while its recommendations are far-reaching and sometimes radical, environmental groups have warned that, without significant action on aviation emissions and HS2, the plan will have little impact.

Using a set of guiding principles, the West Midlands Combined Authority has outlined actions to be taken over five, ten, fifteen and twenty year timeframes, ranging from incentives to adopt low emitting modes of transport to a transition to more eco-friendly homes.

What does the plan include?

Five Years

Creation of a West Midlands national park

Commitment to plant a tree for every West Midlands resident

The expansion of low-emissions places (such as Clean Air Zone)

Introduction of a zero-carbon homes standard

Plan to decarbonise cement

Plan to boost the number of electric taxis

More space for walking and cycling

Five to Fifteen Years

Focused support for people in at-risk jobs, helping them re-train if necessary.

Creation of a pride in green jobs campaign

A vehicle scrappage scheme wherein it is more advantageous to swap a petrol powered car for a travel pass or CAZ-compliant second-hand car.

Urban drainage investment plan, to help deal with increased rainfall.

Final Five Years

A ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2041.

No fossil fuel-powered vehicles permitted on West Midlands roads.

The board of the WMCA has also agreed that, to be successful, an estimated investment of 1-2 percent of regional GVA is required. Between 2020 and 2041, this would work out at around £40bn.

What's the reaction so far?

Speaking after the release of the papers, leader of Solihull council and the portfolio holder for the environment, Cllr Ian Courts, encouraged people to have their say, with a six-week public engagement event set to take place if the papers are approved at next week's WMCA Board meeting.

However Friends of the Earth activist Chris Crean, while praising the WMCA for their actions in creating the plan, says that both Birmingham International Airport and HS2 must be dealt with if our region is to truly see a reduction in carbon emissions.

"I think the way in which this is going to be tested is going to be in the actions, the way in which budgets are allocated," he said.

"And within that there are some significant infrastructure issues right in front of us at this very moment. We know that the Oakervee review is being deliberated, over the awful HS2 scheme. And a decision upon whether or not that scheme goes ahead could be taken very very shortly.

"What we do know is that HS2 is not going to help us reach our climate responsibilities. And we all need to seriously address the dangers that HS2 poses to not just the West Midlands but also other parts of the UK, and also the opportunity that it takes away from investing in lower speed, more local, mass transit systems that can get us out of our motor cars, enable more people to walk and cycle and create a much better environment in which people can live.

"Another infrastructure problem that we might well have is how we deal with international aviation. We have an ever expanding airport near Solihull, and we need to look at how we can actually stop exporting our climate emmissions to other parts of the world by our dependence on internaitonal aviation and shipping.

"But this is a good example of the WMCA showing leadership, by example, and let’s hope that other organisations will be able to follow on from that, and get on board."