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Cornwall’s Carbon Neutral Action Plan – Progress to date

Cornwall’s Carbon Neutral Action Plan – Progress to date. Update 31 st May - Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Meeting structure. Introduction – Drivers for change Known risks to Cornwall from Climate Change What we have already done & where are we now?

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Cornwall’s Carbon Neutral Action Plan – Progress to date

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  1. Cornwall’s Carbon Neutral Action Plan – Progress to date Update 31st May - Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committee

  2. Meeting structure • Introduction – Drivers for change • Known risks to Cornwall from Climate Change • What we have already done & where are we now? • Evidence base on progress • Scale and visions of change • Building the ‘Action Plan’ • Approach & Themes • Areas of influence • Grand challenges • Early action & implementation • Next Steps

  3. Cornwall’s Carbon Neutral Challenge – drivers for change

  4. Young, old and iconic are realising the gravity of the ‘Climate Emergency’ to our civilisation The future looks very alarming indeed, but it is not to late to act. We still have time if we act now with determination and urgency Sir David Attenborough, Climate Change – The Facts (April, 2019) We all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations. Or we can continue with our business as usual and fail Greta Thunberg, Davos Address (Jan 2019)

  5. Science is building consensus on need for action To avoid exceeding the 1.5°C target, global net anthropogenic CO2 emissions must decline by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Special Report 15 (Oct, 2018) https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ . ‘Towards Net Zero by 2050’ / • low-carbon electricity (must quadruple its supply by 2050) • Efficient buildings and low-carbon heating • carbon capture and storage • diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill • phase-out of fluorinated gases • Fifth of the UK’s agricultural land must shift to alternative use to support emissions reduction • Accelerate afforestation, biomass production and peatland restoration

  6. Opinion is divided on urgency of action required – it is a political issue - Government at all levels is facing direct action from climate activists • Extinction Rebellion (XR) are demanding that the UK and local Governments: • Tell the truth – declaring a climate and ecological emergency • Act now – reducing emissions to net zero by 2025 • Go beyond politics - Creating and ceding leadership of UK climate decisions to a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice - replacing representative democracy with a people led participatory climate governance system. • There are still deniers however! . /

  7. Is carbon neutral possible by … …?

  8. The Motion RESOLVED that the Council: Declare a ‘climate emergency’. 2. Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources necessary to achieve the target for Cornwall to become carbon neutral by 2030 and commit to work with other Councils with similar ambitions. 3. Provide adequate staff time and leadership to prepare a report within six months to establish how Cornwall can sufficiently reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency, low-carbon fuels and investment in renewable energy and other Council strategies, plans and contracts within a timescale which is consistent with an ambition to restrain Global Warming to 1.5⁰C. This will draw together the actions Cornwall Council is already and will continue to take; and where possible, outline partners’ commitments to move towards a carbon neutral Cornwall by 2030.

  9. Councils and Parish Councils • Circa 113 Councils & Parish Councils have declared a climate emergency to date • Circa 63% have set a target of Carbon Neutrality by 2030 • UK Parliament have declared climate change • emergency and net zero carbon by 2030. • London & Manchester both declared climate emergencies prior to close of 2018 • London committed to net zero carbon by 2050 , using existing 2018 plan • Manchester, produced an intern plan by Feb 19. Final plan expected before 2020 Manchester City Councils Outline Action Plan , Feb 2019

  10. What does climate change mean for Cornwall?Known risks, impacts and vulnerabilities

  11. Visible impacts of climate change Increased wind, rain and storm intensity

  12. Vulnerability is a function of pressures and releases – our planning and decisions matter The Progression of Vulnerability Hazards Dynamic Pressures Unsafe Conditions Root Causes Risk • Lack of Emergency Plans • Sense of Responsibility or Importance • Holiday Home Ownership • Small or Aging Populations • Large Tourist Population • Land Use • Property impacts • Limited Access to: • Finance • Development • Space • Support for • Communities • Landscape, Topography & Geology • Asset Ownership • Poverty • Trust in System for Protection • Rapid Response Catchments • Pluvial Flooding • Intense • Sustained • Storm Surge & Tide Locking • Coastal Erosion • Drainage System Failure • Flood Defence Failure • Watercourse Erosion/Siltation • Fragile Physical Environment e.g. flood defence condition • Fragile Local Economy e.g. reliant on limited transport infrastructure • Vulnerable Society e.g. 20% deprivation • Fragile Environment e.g. agricultural runoff Flood Flood

  13. Less visible / Invisible impacts • Seasonal timing changes impacting food chains for all species • Seasonal disruption to energy demand and tourism economies • Increased risk of drought & fire risks • Biosecurity – increase risk of diseases and invasive species on native ecosystems • Vulnerable UK and international supply chains.

  14. What have we already done and where are we now?

  15. Previous and Existing Programmes Community energy loan fund Langarth Park & Ride Superfast Cornwall Kernow Solar Park Glow Cornwall 2008 2012 2011 EV Charging Points Cornwall Council Estate Tregura Park & Ride Warm & Well Central Heating Fund 2015 2016 Plastic Free Cornwall Council Longrock Flood Mitigation St Austel Flood Mitigation GEL Deep Geothermal 2017 2018 2019

  16. Cornwall’s Carbon Dioxide emissions – by source • Cornwall has seen a c32% (1,303 ktCO2) reduction in CO2 emissions in the 11 years from 2005 (4124 ktCO2) to 2016 (2,821 ktCO2) • At least two thirds of the emission reductions having been achieved by decarbonising electricity. • The CO2 data shows Cornwall is making reasonable progress towards meeting the Green Cornwall 2020 target of 2.99 MtCO2e (nb. CO2e target) Thousand Tonnes Carbon Dioxide

  17. Cornwall’s Carbon Dioxide emissions – by sector • Beyond decarbonisation of electricity the remaining reductions came the reduced energy used for heating homes and businesses • Transport is now Cornwall’s largest emitting sector making up 36% (1,037 ktCO2) with a minimal reduction having occurred since 2005. Thousand Tonnes Carbon Dioxide

  18. Going beyond CO2: Understanding importance of non-CO2 gases Cornwall GHG inventory last produced 2008 data year (c14% were non-CO2 GHGs) 4.7 million tonnes CO2 CDC (2011) Cornwall Greenhouse Gas Inventory

  19. Cornwall GHG Inventory updates & Scenarios • University of Exeter commissioned to produce: • GHG Inventory for 2009-2017 data years using WRI Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GPC) • Modelling different scenarios for achieving carbon neutral • Findings expected June WRI (2014). GPC

  20. Scenarios to achieve carbon neutrality - What will the analysis tell us? Stage One: Using a standard model to provide: • Cornwall baseline: Business as Usual (BAU) • Scenario 1: Change required to achieve carbon neutral by 2030 (CC motion) • Scenario 2: Change required to achieve carbon neutral by 2050 (Govt – CCC report) Stage two: Models for achieving the Scenarios • Different options (mixes of interventions) of how the selected scenario can be achieved

  21. The scale and visions of change

  22. Carbon Neutral Means… Getting to carbon neutral will require significant changes to the way we do things, from the energy we use, to the products and food that we buy. If guided well this can bring many additional benefits.

  23. Unprecedented Changes – To EVERYTHING! Leadership Paradox WAR FOOTING URGENCY + COMPLEXITY + COLABORATION = HARD CHOICES CLIMATE CHANGE

  24. Carbon Neutral Means… ….that all the electricity we will use must come from clean production technologies, with the benefits from that energy, ideally staying in Cornwall. …our cars, homes and businesses must run on zero carbon energy sources, providing a cleaner local and global environment

  25. The Difficult Realities • Delivering a carbon-neutral Cornwall will vary across sectors: • Electricity will need to become zero carbon • Road vehicles will need to be running on near zero carbon (electric, bio-methane or hydrogen) • Next-to-no buildings will be using oil, gas or coal to warm them. • Building heating will mostly come from ‘heat pumps’. Each renewably generated megawatt will have to replace one from fossil fuels – increased energy demands will have to be met through efficiency investments

  26. The Difficult Realities • Planes are likely to still run on oil - other sectors will thus need to reduce further. • Agriculture will need to reduce fertiliser use, reduce emissions, capture methane and carbon. • We will need to consume less and repair more of our products. • The land (and coast) will then need to be managed to absorb the remaining CO2.

  27. Ensuring decisions support local, long term resilience – ‘avoid acting in haste and repenting at leisure’ • Consider how we minimise spending now that locks in spending again later i.e. building homes in flood plains; or that will need retrofitting; road designed for traffic and water • Buildings need to be more efficient and effective to deal with unstable climate effects • Increasing role for Climate Risk Assessments in our planning processes

  28. Multiple benefits of the carbon neutral quest.. • Significant health benefits from better air quality, healthier diets, less noise, more active travel • More efficient homes and reduced fuel poverty • Greater resilience against temperature extremes with less stress on emergency services • More resilient economy through better energy security • Working practice changes can improve work-life balance and facilitate a transition to a carbon neutral future. • Further stimulate the local economy with new green industries and practices • Avoidance of further climate damage

  29. Cornwall Council’s role in moving towards carbon neutral Cornwall?

  30. Cornwall Council’s role in the system Areas we directly control and guide Areas we can influence or ask for nationally Areas we can influence locally Areas we can enable through policy Areas we can enable through funding

  31. UN Sustainable Development Goals

  32. New perspectives on economic models

  33. How are we approaching the development of the Action Plan July Cabinet report

  34. Considering different sectoral areas

  35. Areas we directly control and guide

  36. Cornwall Council’s direct role Cornwall Council will need to show leadership delivering a net carbon-neutral estate and ensure visual influence. • Cornwall Council estate representing 0.4% (10,247 kTCO2/pa) of Cornwall’s carbon emissions (measured by CO2 only – less if other gases are considered)

  37. Cornwall Council direct role • Our governance • Strengthen our environmental assessments in all decision making and reporting • Development of carbon accounting and a carbon budget • Carbon and wider environmental reporting embedded in our operating data/ performance management • Our infrastructure • Minimum carbon standards on our properties, starting with office estate and enabling green energy on site (solar etc.) • New build & retrofit of Cornwall housing • Increase biodiversity and tree cover on our owned land • Move to ultra low emission fleet • LED lighting • Recycling containment in council owned buildings

  38. Cornwall Council direct role • Strategies & policies • Strategy, policy and vision alignment to ensure coherence with climate change challenge • Our skills, culture & language • Carbon literacy programmes within the organisation • Environmental commitments embedded in values/ cultural language • How we work • Office space strategy and green travel plan • Digitisingprocesses (reducing paper usage) and any processes requiring internal/ paper mail

  39. Cornwall Council direct role • What we buy • drive wider emissions reduction through green procurement approaches to support delivery of low carbon services (e.g. waste and bus contracts) • Embed carbon statements in our information we provide to suppliers – quick win • Procurement strategies to reduce multi-deliveries • Financial models/ incentives/ disincentives • Appropriate taxation/ levies/incentives/subsidies/penalties • Charges where necessary (emissions, congestion, parking) • Designing as a package, rather than individual interventions

  40. Cornwall Council’s guiding role - CORSERV • Cornwall Housing manages 10,285 homes - 3.76% of the homes in Cornwall (est. approx. 1% of Cornwall’s emissions) • CORMAC fleet manages over 1,000 vehicles however this only equates to c.0.25% of Cornwall total resident vehicles (est. approx. 1% of Cornwall’s emissions) • Cornwall Airport Limited: flights from Cornwall Airport Newquay are being recalculated, it was 0.3% of Cornwall’s emissions based on 2008 figures

  41. Areas we can enable through funding

  42. Funding under direct Council control • Capital ‘Investment’ Programme • Capital Programme • Highways Funding • Councillors’ Community Chest Funds • Services revenue budgets/ small scale contracts • Reserves

  43. Areas we directly control and guide Areas we can influence or ask for nationally Areas we can influence locally Areas we can enable through policy Areas we can enable through funding

  44. Council’s role to enable wider changes through policy • Working within national strategies & frameworks we can influence: • Definition of local priorities: • Energy, Industrial, Climate, Transport, Planning, Waste, Environment, Maritime • Planning Policies • Facilitate move towards zero-carbon homes • Facilitate new zero carbon generation • Public Transport – modal shifts • Education and Skills Pipeline • Closing Waste Loops – promote a Circular Economy

  45. Areas we can influence locally

  46. Councils role to influence change locally • Working with our partners • City, Town & Parish Councils • Voluntary & Community sector groups across communities • Universities & Colleges • Businesses – ‘Tevi’ (environmental growth and circular economy) • Other major organisations - Govt Agencies, NHS, Police etc – Safety Partnerships, One Public Estate, Pathfinder projects • External funding bodies – Intermediate Body Status, Culture & Heritage MOU

  47. Areas we can influence or ask for nationally

  48. Emerging asks of Government • Parity for rural & coastal areas • Increase access to climate finance • Social, technical, ecological programmes • Legislation & regulation of utilities • Transport and energy infrastructure • Local support of supply chains • School Curriculum • Major skills programme

  49. Emerging asks of Government • Planning Policy & Building Regulations • Energy/Resilient Innovation Zones • Coalitions to address owned fleet and estate • Mass Retrofit • Scrappage scheme • Electrification of rail network • Climate levy

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