Since 2019 we have been hard at work to achieve our aim to be carbon neutral with our direct carbon emissions by 2030. We are delighted to say that these carbon emissions are now down by 57% since 2019/20; that is almost 1,300 tonnes CO2 emissions saved!
Direct carbon emissions result from using petrol and diesel fuel in the Council’s fleet, and the use of gas & electricity in the buildings that the Council owns. The largest reduction was due to a change in the fuel used in the fleet. All of the Councils vehicles that run on diesel were swapped to sustainably-sourced Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel in April 2022.
Both gas and electricity had slightly higher emissions compared to last year, but this was expected as things return to normal after Covid-19, which had artificially reduced the carbon emissions in 2020/2021. Nevertheless, the results from 2021-2022 alone saw a reduction of about 36% in the Council’s CO2 emissions.
Going forward we will continue to progress our energy efficiency actions, including working to make our housing stock and other Council-owned buildings and leisure facilities more energy efficient through the use of renewable or low carbon sources of energy.
Find out more about the Council’s work to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change