South Warwickshire Emissions

A report has been completed by Anthesis (attached) to baseline our District emissions and identify how to reach as close to zero by 2030 as possible. The study shows that local action can make a real difference to carbon emissions in South Warwickshire and that with a high ambition, a 55% carbon reduction by 2030 (against 2017 levels) is achievable, particularly if initiatives to increase carbon capture within South Warwickshire by 2030 to offset some of the residual carbon emissions are also factored in.

The Scatter Pathways report shows the total amount of carbon emissions arising from South Warwickshire in 2017 is 2,744,000 tonnes CO2e. The report breaks this total down in to different sources and shows the most significant sources of emissions are:

• On road transport (45%)
• Residential Buildings (20%)
• Institutional, Commercial and Industrial Buildings (20%)

The report shows that within the current context it could be possible to achieve a 55% reduction in carbon emissions from South Warwickshire by 2030, if the Councils set a high ambition. It should be noted that whilst the proposed minimum reduction of 55% is considerably ahead of the levels of reduction that could be achieved if no action is taken, it is also below the levels that would be required to align with the national Paris Climate Change commitments.  This again underlines the need to aim beyond a 55% reduction on the basis that national policy will need to change to achieve the UK’s Paris Climate commitments.

Looking beyond 2030, the report indicates that with high ambition and within the current context, it should be possible to achieve a 75% reduction in carbon emissions from South Warwickshire by 2030, if the Councils set a high ambition. However, given the UK Government is committed to achieving net zero carbon for the whole country by 2050, it would be reasonable to expect the national context to improve to enable a 75% reduction to be exceeded.  The Councils therefore consider that the ambition should be in line with national aims to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.

Warwick district emissions

In 2018/19, we collated data relating to our organisational carbon emissions and this showed Warwick District Council emitted 2,948 tonnes CO2e (excluding leisure centres).  Since then, we have gathered data on our emissions for 2019/20 and this was 3,488 CO2e (excluding leisure centres) and the rise is due to the change in the way the data is calculated. 

Most emissions come from energy use in Council buildings with significant amounts relating to the activities of contractors and, to a lesser degree, travel by staff on Council business. The data is currently being refined to ensure it is consistent across the two organisations and can be used in a combined way. This is likely to result in a change to the total combined emissions.

The impacts of Council contractors will be included within the scope of the organisational emissions.  However, it is also recognised that a number of existing contracts will continue beyond 2025. Given the scale of investment required to enable some of these contracts to be zero carbon, it is accepted that there will be resulting carbon emissions beyond 2025.  There are therefore two elements to this ambition:

We will seek to reduce carbon emissions from buildings and vehicles that are directly operated by the Council to net zero by 2025.

We will seek to minimise carbon emissions from buildings and vehicles that are operated by our contractors by 2025 and to ensure contracts incorporate carbon reduction plans during their life and that all contracts are net zero by 2030 at the latest.

Related links

South Warwickshire Climate Action Support - Anthesis, June 2021