Fossil fuel burning is one of the biggest sources of CO2 emissions
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North Yorkshire County Council has become the first local authority in the UK to create a post with the sole aim of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon reduction manager Kim Williams has been appointed to help the council meet its target of cutting CO2 output by 15% over the next five years.
His initial three-year budget of �1m is split equally between the council and the government-funded Carbon Trust.
But the council keeps any cash saved through its energy efficiency measures.
Mr Williams said: "Climate change used to be referred to as global warming and many people saw it as something to be welcomed, more warm sunny days to be enjoyed.
"Nothing is further from the truth. Climate change threatens the world through extreme weather, such as storms and heatwaves and different weather patterns, hotter, wetter, and dryer than now.
"Climate change is not only a major threat globally, but also locally. We are all familiar with the increase in localised flooding in recent years.
"There's no escaping the consequences so we should all do our bit to fight it."
Mr Williams said he would be taking the fight to all areas of the county council's operation.
For example, he will be looking at ways of increasing the efficiency of street lighting which currently accounts for 13% of the council's CO2 emissions.
The authority's fleet of vehicles, which cover 10 million miles a year delivering council services, account for 6% of emissions.
"We need to take a serious look at how that can be reduced," said Mr Williams.
And, although only four of the county's 438 schools still use old solid fuel boilers, they generate a staggering 3% of the authority's total greenhouse gases.
The council plans to upgrade them with gas-powered heating systems.
"But a lot of what I'll be doing is simply raising people's awareness of what we can all do as individuals to save energy," said Mr Williams.
"Simple housekeeping measures, like switching off lights, televisions and computers when we're not using them, or just trying to produce less waste, can cut our energy bills by up to 20%."
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