More than 300 local authorities across the UK have declared a climate emergency, with nearly two-thirds of these aiming to become carbon-neutral as soon as 2030.
This is a very ambitious goal and will require the involvement of households, businesses, community organisations, schools, transport systems… basically everyone.
Whilst this is a tremendous challenge it is also one that we must all embrace. As shown in the graph below, carbon emissions continue to grow each year, and without a major intervention to move away from fossil fuels, we will miss the window of opportunity to avoid climate catastrophe.
Bringing such a variety of stakeholders together to achieve a common goal, and designing a roadmap for achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a complicated and demanding challenge for local authorities.
To achieve its carbon emissions reduction targets, a local Council must first measure all of its existing carbon emissions and then design a measurable action plan to bring them down to ‘net zero’.
This is a complex and highly specialised undertaking, which may require skills and expertise that are not within the wheelhouse of your typical local Council.
With the clock counting down to 2030, how will your local authority achieve its net zero carbon emissions targets?
What are your local authority’s net zero carbon plans?
Most Council’s in England have set a target to become carbon neutral by 2050, and in many cases much sooner. You can find a list of which Council’s have declared a climate emergency and announced a ‘net zero’ target year here at Climate Action Plans website:
It is important that local communities hold their elected Councillors to account on their progress towards decarbonisation and put pressure on Councils to take action on their climate targets.
All too often we see ambitious policy statements and lengthy research documents explaining how a locality will reach net zero, but very little radical change ever happens. And don’t think for a second that anything other than radical change is what is needed to avoid the worst case scenarios of climate breakdown.
Tinkering at the edges by adding a bike lane here or a low-emissions-zone there will not come close to reducing emissions enough to a sustainable level.
Our whole systems of transport, housing, food, and energy needs to change if communities are to achieve net zero emissions.
This is a tremendous undertaking and will require every department within a Council to include a decarbonisation strategy within its broader remit.
How is your local authority progressing with achieving net zero carbon emissions?
Different local authorities around the UK are making very different progress towards their decarbonisation plans.
Bristol City Council for example have established an innovative partnership with the multinational renewables company Ameresco to secure £500 million of investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements over the next 5 years.
Other councils however lag far behind on taking action to transition away from fossil fuels.
A particular hurdle for many areas is how to transition away from using fossil fuels as a source of heating. Whether this is using oil or LPG to heat rural ‘off-gas’ properties, or mains gas to heat homes in towns and cities, the challenge of how to replace existing heating systems with a sustainable and affordable alternative remains a big one.
Most local authorities have a neighbourhood action plan or a Climate Action plan which details their path to achieving net zero emissions. For example, Brighton & Hove City Council have published a ‘2030 Carbon Neutral Programme’ which proposes how the city will reduce emissions in sectors including energy, waste, transport and housing.
You can find data relating to the Climate Action Plans of your local authority using this ‘Council Climate Plan Scorecard’ designed by Climate Emergency UK.
If your Council is dragging their feet on climate action you should consider writing to your Council leader or start a public campaign to demand more ambitious climate policies.
If the UK is to achieve its 2050 net zero carbon ambition then every town and city in the country needs to step up and deliver on the actions needed.
2050 might sound like a long time away, but its only the same difference as between now (June 2023) and 1996, the year the Spice Girls released their debut single Wannabe.
What is missing from your local authority's net zero carbon strategy?
Technically complex challenges like decarbonising heat or introducing electricity grid flexibility services are likely to prove beyond the means of smaller parish councils, or even larger councils whose primary concerns are social welfare and education.
The Local Government Association has produced a report called ‘Delivering Net Zero: How Councils Can Go Further And Faster‘ which is designed to provide guidance for local authorities who want to improve their decarbonisation strategy. In particular, the report looks at innovative ways to access finance and investment and how to make use of large data sets to make informed strategic decisions.
The UK Government has also produced a shorter report looking into how it can better support Local Authorities to make progress on net zero commitments. Examples include providing clarification on the role of Local Authorities in supporting the national net zero target and working with local authorities to assess skills gaps and how these might be addressed.
To support local authorities with their net zero carbon strategy, BHESCo are making our consultancy services available to any local authority who want to gain insight from our wealth of industry experience and expertise.
Our two-hour Local Area Energy Plan workshops are designed to help local authorities review their existing strategies, identify weaknesses, and implement practical solutions that will ensure they are able to achieve their decarbonisation commitments.
Workshops will include an examination of:
- Roles and responsibilities for delivering net zero emissions within the local authority
- Project planning, timeframes and milestones
- What resources, funding, & data are available
- Policy and legal obligations
- Existing energy efficiency levels and barriers to improvement
- Community engagement strategies
- Existing renewable energy deployment and opportunities for additional resources
- Potential for shared heat networks and / or microgrids
If you are involved in any way with implementing a decarbonisation strategy on behalf of your local authority then please contact BHESCo using the short form below.
We would love to be a part of your community’s journey towards net zero carbon emissions and we hope to hear from you soon.
Contact Form
If you are interested in working with BHESCo to revolutionise the way that your town or village uses heat and power then please provide your details in the form below and a member of our Projects Team will get back to you to discuss next steps.
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