Bristol not expected to meet 2030 net zero targets

Bristol City Council is not predicted to meet its target for the city to be carbon neutral by 2030, despite making faster progress towards net zero than other areas of the country.

The goal was set when the authority became the first in the country to declare a Climate Emergency in November 2018.

A report to the council’s Environment and Sustainability Policy Committee said that emissions from the city were on track to be half what they were two decades earlier.

Bristol’s emissions per head have been lower than similar UK cities for almost 20 years, and had continued to reduce faster than the average.

The report said people in more affluent areas had a higher consumption of carbon, because of travel habits, heating, and buying more goods and services.

People in Hartcliffe and Withywood produced on average 36% fewer emissions than those in Redland, for example.

Most air pollution in the city came from cars, vans and gas boilers.

But the report said that increasing the use of green electricity would be “the most significant driver” of cutting carbon between now and 2030.

After declaring a Climate Emergency, the council also committed to cutting its own emissions to net zero by this year, another goal that would not be met.

These “direct emissions” included those from council-owned buildings and vehicles. which were forecast to have been reduced by 88% between 2016 and 2025.

“This is well ahead of any other major UK local authority”, the report added.

Councillor Martin Fodor, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability committee, said the city’s efforts were “bearing fruit” towards carbon neutrality, which he described as “one of the most ambitious and important endeavours we’ve ever set out to achieve”.

But he added, “whilst we can allow ourselves a moment to celebrate the positive progress made to date, we cannot linger long if we’re to meet the national target set in law.”

UK law sets a date of 2050 for the whole of the UK to be carbon neutral.

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