Consultation launched on GM carbon emissions

Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Low Carbon Hub has set out five targets for reducing carbon emissions by 2020 in a plan which covers buildings, energy, natural environment, transport and production of goods.

The launch of the consultation comes ahead of the United Nations climate change summit which is due to take place in Paris at the end of November.

The goals are:

• A rapid transition to a sustainable low carbon economy
• A reduction in Greater Manchester’s carbon emissions of 48% compared to 1990
• Being prepared for and actively adapting to a rapidly changing climate
• A shift in personal and collective behaviour towards more low-carbon lifestyles and practices
• Tough action to reduce air pollution and the impact it has on ill-health in Greater Manchester

Cllr Sue Derbyshire, GMCA’s lead on low carbon, said: “Our targets are challenging and cannot be achieved by local authorities working in isolation. There is no single intervention which will reduce emissions sufficiently. It will require a wide range of action and choices across all aspects of society and business.

“There’s no magic bullet on climate change or single course of action that will bring us to safety. What does exist is a suite of responses to the way we live, work, travel and share our towns and cities that can help us genuinely claim to be a low carbon city.

“Those responses will be stronger if we can count on our many partners in business and the public sector, as well as people and families in communities right across Greater Manchester, to connect with our plan, and play their part in making positive change happen.”

The draft plan to 2020 includes action on the energy performance of Greater Manchester’s buildings, on the generation, distribution and trading of energy, on the protection of our natural environment in the face of climate change, on transport emissions and related air quality issues, and on how we produce or consume food and other goods. The consultation asks whether the actions are appropriate and, vitally, whether the aims and ambitions can be realised.

The plan targets for more than five million tonnes of CO2 reductions to be made before 2020 through local projects and initiatives, but also through collaborative national action, where many of Greater Manchester’s emissions are dictated through national priorities, such as the energy mix in the National Grid.

The consultation around the new climate change plan, and the opportunity to respond to it, will be online on the Greater Manchester’s website until 11 December 2015 at http://gmlch.ontheplatform.org.uk/article/greater-manchesters-new-climate-change-plan and the online consultation questionnaire can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GreaterManchesterClimateChangeStrategyAndImplementationPlan