Shetland Islands Council is putting steps in place to cut its emissions and take further climate action across the organisation.
Councillors yesterday approved the Council’s first climate change progress report – showing what it has been doing, and the steps it must take to reach Net Zero by 2045.
The Council’s Annual Climate Change Report 2023/24 looks at Council services from 2019 to 2023, and sets out priorities for the future. These include developing a plan for a greener Council fleet of vehicles, vessels, and aircraft, a strategy for more energy efficient housing, and a plan to decarbonise the Council’s buildings.
Council emissions have fallen by 4.3% since 2019 or about 3,000 tonnes – the biggest change has been in transport, with greener cars and vans, and less business travel and commuting.
Emissions have reduced across all areas of the Council, however the Council is below its target – to cut its carbon footprint by 7.8% for 2023/24. The Scottish Government has set a legally-binding target to be Net Zero by 2045, and local authorities must show they are working towards reducing emissions.
The report follows several pieces of work including the Council’s Net Zero Route Map, and the Shetland Net Zero Route Map, as well as the Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.
Claire Ferguson, the Council’s Team Leader for Climate Change Strategy, said: “This is the first time we’ve taken an overview of all Council services when it comes to climate change and taking stock of our progress. The pandemic changed how we work as a Council and resulted in a significant drop in our emissions. We need to make sure we learn from those behavioural and service changes as we look to the future.
“Climate action also comes with social and economic benefits for both the Council and the community. These include reduced bills, reduced inequalities and improved health and wellbeing.”
Moraig Lyall, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Transport Committee, said: “This is the first annual report monitoring the progress of our Climate Change Action Plan. While it demonstrates that we are reducing emissions, the reductions are short of the targets in some areas.
“Climate action comes with financial challenges at a time when budgets are stretched more than ever. It can deliver savings both for the Council and individual households in the long-term but in the short to medium-term we need greater investment to reach our goals.”
The report can be found on the Council’s Committee Information pages