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Nottingham council unveils 2028 target to become UK’s first carbon neutral city

Nottingham City Council has committed to becoming the first ‘net-zero carbon’ city in the UK after setting the ambitious target of 2028 to go carbon neutral.

The announcement comes as the city met its energy strategy target goals two years early - reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 26% 2020 – and is on track to meet its target of 20% of energy generation from low carbon sources, also by 2020.

Now Nottingham has announced its new target to become completely carbon neutral by 2028, which would make it the first carbon neutral city in the UK.

The local authority said its progress was driven by a combination of its renewable energy projects programme and a reduction in the city’s energy demand, and added it was “incumbent” that it does more in light of the Climate Change’s 2018 special report.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Global Warming warned of the dire consequences of a 1.5 degree rise in global temperatures and the panel stated that limiting global warming to this increase would require rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

The council’s portfolio holder for energy & environment, Sally Longford, said: “We have been making good progress for a long time, but it is incumbent on us to do more.

“We are already seeing the effects of climate change with 650 extra deaths nationally last year because of the heatwave.

“We need a shift in the way we produce and use energy, more sustainable management of waste and ways to travel and to look at things like shortening supply chains by buying goods and services locally.

“There will also be things we will be asking local people to do, to help us to achieve our aim of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2028 – we’re sure that like us they will rise to the challenge.”

To decarbonise its transport, Nottingham has invested in a fleet of electric, biogas and retrofitted buses and invested in cycling facilities and bike hubs, whilst introducing the workplace parking levy.

The council has installed 4500 domestic properties across the city and has worked on projects including the solar vehicle-to-grid project.

Other initiatives include switching its tram network to 100% renewable power, and retrofitting 400 homes with ground-breaking energy efficient measures.

Scarlett Lee of the local environmental pressure group welcomed the news, commented: “It is essential for major cities such as Nottingham to declare a climate emergency, to put pressure on the government and other cities to recognise the dire situation we are facing.”