Carbon emissions in Cambridge nearly halve in 20 years

New figures suggest carbon emissions in Cambridge have nearly halved since 2005.

A Cambridge City Council report noted that emissions have reduced by 44.7% in the last two decades, following several council-led programmes.

The authority itself has also seen a reduction of 10.8% in it’s own emissions since 2022/23 – a reduction of approximately 500 tonnes of CO2 compared to the previous year.

The council has said it is committed to achieving the goals of it's 2026 Climate Change Strategy, which will reduce emissions and help the region to adapt to climate change.

Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment:

"I am so pleased at how far we have come and the fantastic reductions we have seen in emissions and greenhouse gasses, however we still have lots more to do as a council and as a city.

"We are living in a climate emergency and there is no time to delay – we are seeing the effects of climate change across the world, as well as in our own lives.

"It is so important that we keep working together, as one city, to address climate change, mitigate the impacts and adapt to the changes that are already happening."

The council has been undertaking a series of works such as:

• Investing in its leisure centres and swimming pools to make them more energy efficient and lower carbon emissions by installing heat pumps and solar panels. £1.7m was awarded to the council through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which the council used to install air source heat pumps and make energy efficiency upgrades to Parkside and Abbey Pools
• Using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to power generators at events the council organises in the city’s parks, such as the Folk Festival, instead of diesel. This significantly reduces the carbon emissions produced by these events
• Introducing the fourth electric refuse collection lorry in June 2024. This is part of Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service’s plan to progressively replace the vehicles with electric or low carbon alternatives at the point when they are due for replacement.

The council has also been supporting residents, businesses and organisations to reduce their emissions:

• A pilot programme to retrofit 50 council owned homes on Ross Street and Coldham’s Grove to net zero standards is currently underway. Once retrofitted, the homes will all be in line with the very latest in sustainable design. This project will help to significantly reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and energy bills, whilst improving home comfort for the residents
• The council, in collaboration with other local councils, is supporting small and medium businesses (SMEs) by offering access to expert advice to develop a practical, tailored, net zero road map. As part of this Green Business Programme, businesses are able to apply for a capital grant of up to £5,000 to part-fund investment in carbon-saving technology, equipment or improvements needed to start implementing it.

As a result, Cambridge City Council has been:

• ranked as an “A” rated city by the Carbon Disclosure Project, marking it as one of the leading cities in acting on climate change across the world
• ranked as the second greenest city in the UK recently, and the report demonstrates action being taken on energy, waste, housing, planning, electric vehicle infrastructure and more.