Agenda item

(To receive a report from Dan Clayton, Sustainability Manager – Environment, which updates the Committee on the work that has been done to quantify the carbon dioxide emissions across the county and seeks support for the work underway to reduce emissions)

Consideration was given to a report by the Sustainability Manager – Environment, which provided an update on the work that had been done to quantify the carbon dioxide emissions across the County and sought support for the work underway to reduce emissions.

The Council was making good progress on reducing their carbon emissions in order to achieve the target of Net zero by 2050. Reductions had been made to the Council’s direct emissions through buildings and their fleet. Etude consultancy, had been commissioned to look at carbon emissions in the County from the wider economy outside of the Council’s direct emissions.

Looking at front loading those carbon emission reductions over the next 10-15 years, it was estimated that if reduction of emissions was left for the end of the 2040s this could have a significant impact on the overall climate missions around the Country which then led the County exceed its climate carbon budget for that period up to 2050. The estimated total of carbon dioxide emissions for 2018/19 were 3.57m tonnes across the Lincolnshire economy. With the largest being from the transport sector at just under 40%; arounds 30% from business and commerce sector and around 30% from domestic housing. Each sectors represented a particular challenge and further actions were suggested to mitigate these through investments that the Council made in projects being set up.

The Committee was referred to Figure 3 in the report, which showed that for most sectors of the economy emissions had been steadily reducing over the period since 2005 for a number of reasons, including the electricity grid having decarbonized (switch from coal fired power stations to gas fired power stations) and the increase of the amount of renewable energy generated in the Country

Emissions within the transport had stayed consistent despite vehicle engines becoming more efficient. This was due to an increase in mileage across the County including a significant increase in cars delivering goods ordered online. The number of delivery vans on the road had increased by around 70% and was expected to double in size over the next 10 year.

The total number of carbon dioxide emissions had fallen from 6.1m tonnes per annum in 2005 to 4.4m tonnes per annum in 2019, which was a significant reduction. A breakdown of carbon dioxide emissions for each District Council area could be found within the report.

There were a number of methods proposed to reduce emissions in the three main sectors. A reduction in transport emissions would be largely driven by national government policy such as ceasing the sale of fully diesel and petrol cars from 2030. In the industrial sector, the Council was looking at funding options to help businesses introduce energy efficiency technologies into business premises, and encouraging businesses to switch to LED lighting; improve insulation levels and install solar panels. Within the domestic sector, the Council had helped to set up the greater Lincolnshire Energy Efficiency Network (GLEEN) which coordinated the activity on energy efficiency funding that was mainly being directed at social housing altering the domestic sector. There was also the new future homes standard which was being introduced into the commercial sector from 2025 which would significantly increased the building standards for new houses.

Overall, the Council had made excellent progress in reducing its own carbon emissions, but it was recognised that the Council was only directly responsible for less than half of 1% of the carbon emissions in the County, so there was a need to work with businesses, local communities and other parts of the public sector to reduce emissions in the coming years.

Consideration was given to the report and during the discussion the following points were noted:

• Members welcomed working in partnership with District Council’s on the installation of electric vehicle charging points in suitable locations across the County. It was recognised that there would need to be installation of significantly more charging points across the County, which needed to be suitably located to ensure all residents had access not too far from their homes.
• It was acknowledged that the battery life for electric vehicles required development to ensure that it was sufficient for long distance traveling and that they could be charged in a timely manner. 
• The importance of addressing the issue of domestic energy efficiency and upgrades to housing in a timely manner was emphasised. It was noted that North Kesteven District Council were carrying out an advanced programme for retrofitting within their Council housing stock. Although efficiency improvements to some dwellings may be difficult and costly, they were not impossible and the importance of making the improvements in order to meet the net zero target was emphasised. 
• There were a number of online delivery collection points across the County. The Council were liaising with a representative of a company that was looking to install a national network of collection points that would be used by a range of companies and had identified Lincoln and Boston as two priority areas. The project proposed that, by the end of the roll-out, residents would be no more than one kilometre from a collection point at any time, when in urban areas. Libraries, community centres and village halls had been identified as possible locations and there would also be the opportunity for income generation at the sites.
• The Committee welcomed the opportunity to reduce emissions by encouraging children to walk or cycle to school. Work was ongoing for a number of possible cycle and walking routes which would provide alternative means of transport to a number of school children and as a result cost savings would be made. An update on alternative school transport measures and potential walking and cycling routes was agreed to be brought to a future meeting of the Committee.
• Western Power had proposed a programme of installation for electric vehicle charging substations across the County which would also allow solar panels to feed back into the electricity grid.
• The Council would continue to consider alternative fuels for their transport fleet, including the possibility of using hydrogen.
• Members were encouraged by the reductions in emissions that had been made to date. However, it was suggested that some reduction had been made by changes in supply rather than demand. It was felt that the Council needed to do more to influence the way that individuals act to climate change.
• It was suggested that the UK needed to use more renewable energy sources such as solar panels.
• Concerns were raised over the capacity of the national grid to cope with the increase in electric cars on the road.
• Funds for the local authority delivery programme had been distributed at a district council level. The Council had a small influence over the spending allocated to Midlands Energy Hub through the programme. 
• The Council had invested a significant amount of money on making energy efficiently improvements at County Council operated buildings across the County.

RESOLVED:

          That the work that had been carried out to quantify carbon dioxide           emissions across the County be noted.