Council cuts carbon emissions but still has more to do

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A council has reduced its total carbon emissions by 28 per cent in four years but says it still has work to do. 

Welsh councils and other public sector bodies are committed to being net zero carbon  – meaning all carbon emission such as those created by heating buildings or running vehicles are off set through steps like clean energy generation – by 2030. 

Torfaen Borough Council also aims to support residents and businesses to become net zero carbon by 2050. 

It adopted a Climate and Nature Emergency Action Plan in February 2022 as a framework to address what it has recognised as climate and nature emergencies and reports progress on its annual action plans. 

The latest shows that in the year from April 2023 to March this year the authority’s estimated carbon emissions reduced by 28.1 per cent from 55,702 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019/20 – the baseline year figures are measured against – to 40,048.

Inconsistencies

Of the emissions the council directly controls building emissions have reduced by 39.9 per cent, streetlighting is down 28.5 per cent, estimated fleet and equipment emissions reduced by 53.5 per cent, and estimated business travel emissions by 26.7 per cent. 

However 71 per cent of the council’s total emissions are created by its supply chain and there are inconsistencies in how industry estimates and records its data. But the council says the figures are useful to identify “high carbon” areas of the supply chain so reduction efforts can be focused. 

It is also discussing with high-carbon suppliers, contractors and service providers to see if they can supply more accurate data and asking what steps they are taking to reduce the carbon footprint of the goods, services and or works the council procures from them and their supply chains.

Complexities

Due to complexities with the supply chain figures the council’s total carbon emissions increased from 35,395 in the 2022/23 financial year but emissions under its direct control have fallen every year from 2021/22. 

There are 107 actions to address the climate and nature emergency in the 2023/24 delivery plan and 78, or 73 per cent, have been completed or are on target and these include installing more solar panels on schools, increasing electric vehicle charging points at council sites and adopting new planning policies on biodersity and increasing the area of council owned grassland managed for biodiversity. 

Delayed work to address flooding at the council owned British, former industrial site at Abersychan, is identified as a red risk with significant delay. 

The council has also planted 9,793 trees across the borough in the past year.