Glasgow and Edinburgh race to become first major UK city to reach ‘net zero’. Edinburgh and Glasgow are battling to become the first major UK city to reach “net zero” carbon emissions. ScottishPower, which is working alongside Glasgow City Council, yesterday pledged to make Glasgow the first major UK city to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2045. But within hours of the announcement, Edinburgh City Council swooped in to say that it would be a zero-carbon capital city by 2030. The energy supplier plans to enforce mass electric vehicle charging within the city which it said will form “the cornerstone of its decarbonisation plans”. Edinburgh council leader Adam McVey said: “Cities and towns all over the world are recognising the horrifying scale of the climate change challenge facing us all. We have to act and act fast – and that is why this council and indeed the Scottish Government are not shying away from recognising the state of affairs as a climate emergency.”
Telegraph 15th May 2019 read more »
Glasgow has unveiled plans to become the first UK city to reduce its greenhouse emissions to net-zero. The city wants to reach the target before 2045, beating the Scotland-wide ambition announced by the Scottish government earlier this month. The plans include mass charging points for electric vehicles. Net-zero is the point where the same volume of greenhouse gases is being emitted as is being absorbed through offsetting techniques like forestry. Glasgow City Council and Scottish Power say they will work on a range of programmes to help the city reach the target. They hope the announcement will fire the starting gun on a “race to zero” with other cities like Edinburgh.
BBC 15th May 2019 read more »
The chief executive of Scottish Power wants Glasgow to become the UK’s first net-zero carbon emission city but that may mean banning the most polluting vehicles. Keith Anderson believes the city could generate huge inward investment and economic benefits if it commits to a radical overhaul. Glasgow city council is supportive, with Susan Aitken, the leader, saying that that the city will lead the race to zero. “We have to act now and the Glasgow city government will develop those partnerships necessary to get to where we simply have to be,” she said. “We need to be a net-zero city. And we need to be the UK’s first net-zero city.”
Times 15th May 2019 read more »
Susan Aitken: Glasgow can lead the UK to zero carbon future. I don’t think anyone would disagree that there is an urgent need to atone for the sins of the carbon age, to repair the damage we have inflicted upon the planet. The most credible evidence available to us tell us that this is indeed an emergency, that there is a very real challenge to viability of human, animal and plant life in parts of our planet. That the ripples created by the separate condenser continue to reverberate and that we now face a global crisis. Glasgow is determined to lead the UK’s ‘race to zero’. From the research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the appeals from our classrooms, our streets and civic squares, we know that emissions reduction is the issue of our times. We simply have to act now and the City Government will develop those partnerships necessary to get to where we simply have to be. We need to a Net Zero city. And we need to be the UK’s first Net Zero first. There is a historic pertinence that Glasgow should lead the transition into a carbon neutral future and that we should collaborate with those driving the technological innovation to take us there. Around a third of Glasgow’s households are estimated to live in fuel poverty, damaging health, quality of life and financial sustainability of individuals, households and communities. Sustainable energy and reducing carbon emissions can and must also be about reducing fuel poverty. How we keep our citizens warm will be crucial in delivering our targets. We also have one of the worst records for poor air quality in the UK, a direct contributing factor in 300 city deaths every year. Air pollution is a serious social justice challenge for the Council. This is why we are leading the way in the implementation of Scotland’s first Low Emissions Zone, which will permit only the least polluting of vehicles into our city centre by 2022. Perhaps few cities quite understand the need for a ‘just transition’ quite like Glasgow, given the impact of the deep scars of de-industrialisation on the city and its communities throughout the 1970s and 80s. It’s critical that we make sure that quality of life is integral to change and that we take business and civic Scotland with us. If we prepare for this properly one of the pillars of our transition will be the creation of new economies and new jobs. I want to give one significant example of how we aim to connect social justice with climate justice in this city. Late last month I launched the second report by the Connectivity Commission, a group of independent experts I tasked with considering Glasgow’s transport networks and deliver proposals addressing the city’s needs, opportunities and challenges. You may have seen the news coverage: a new city-wide Metro system, a connection between our two main railway stations, reviving many of the dormant tunnels and lines closed in the 1960s and extending Central Station. The images used, a Metro on the familiar setting of city roads gave a tantalising glimpse of how these ambitions could look. But this wasn’t just about a shiny new transport system. Far too many Glaswegians are excluded from the economic life of this city, denied jobs and opportunities because of the lack of connectivity into the transport network. We may have one of the best metropolitan rail networks on these islands and our unique Subway system carries around 13 million passengers a year. But if you do not live close to either of these, which hundreds of thousands don’t, then chances are you face more barriers to employment, training and education.
Herald 15th May 2019 read more »
Scotland is on the verge of a green energy industrial revolution as the country’s two main cities unveil ambitious plans to become the first in the UK to be fully carbon neutral. Glasgow will today announce a dramatic roll-out of electric transport and heating systems as it bids to become the UK’s first, with the backing of energy giant ScottishPower. The scheme – which faces competition from Edinburgh – will see new charging stations for electric cars, soon to rival petrol vehicles on price, announced within weeks. Major cities across Europe, including Edinburgh, are vying to cash in on renewable technology as the costs of clean power fall and governments set zero carbon deadlines. Glasgow City Council feels it is in poll position – not least thanks to its engineering prowess and existing wind farms – to capitalise on this demand for new equipment, like charging stations and heat pumps. Their announcement came after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who backs the scheme, officially announced a climate emergency The Environment Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, said a response to global warning “must be hardwired into our national psyche”.
Herald 15th May 2019 read more »
The Liberal Democrats and Green Party have formed a ‘progressive partnership’ to run York. We will reduce the city’s carbon footprint, committing to annual targets leading to to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
York Mix 14th May 2019 read more »
