About the Net Zero Action Plan

On 18 March 2019, at a meeting of the City Council, councillors unanimously voted to declare a Climate Emergency, making a pledge to make Plymouth carbon neutral by 2030. This spirit of collaboration has continued through cross-party working on the climate emergency ever since.

This pledge exceeds the climate objectives of the UK, which are to achieve net zero by 2050, recognising the need for the 2020s to be a decade of urgent and accelerated action.

The City Council alone cannot ensure that Plymouth achieves net zero. For that to happen, every individual and organisation needs to play its part. However, it can do all in its power to make sure that it addresses its own emissions. This is why it is so important for the Council to put in place its own delivery plan for net zero.

Where are we now?

The table shows our measured emissions since 2019.  These cover what are known as Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The NZAP will aim to accelerate the reduction of these emissions so that the Council is a net zero organisation by 2030.

We will continue to improve our understanding of the Council’s scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Data relating to city wide emissions is available in Plymouth Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Monitoring 2022.

Scopes 1, 2 and 3 – are defined by an internationally accepted methodology for accounting for GHG emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Scope 1 emissions relate to the direct burning of fossil fuels by an organisation, for example fuel for transport or gas for heating, Scope 2 emissions relate to emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. Scope 3 emissions relate to all other activities where emissions are generated by a third party on behalf of an organisation, for example across our supply chain.

What have we already delivered from our previous plans?

The City Council acknowledges that achieving net zero, both as an organisation and as a city is a journey.  It can’t be achieved overnight.  However, since our first action plans in 2019 we have made some significant steps on that journey.

Examples of actions we have already taken to drive down our organisational and city emissions include the following. We have:

• Installed 105 e-bike locations where people can hire one of 500 Beryl e-bikes and installed EV chargepoint in over 300 parking bays in the city.
• Invested £6.9M since 2020 in a programme of renewable energy installations on 12 of our buildings, leading to 660t of carbon savings.
• Purchased 61 electric vehicles for our fleet.
• Put in place a Climate Emergency Investment Fund to support initiatives to continue the decarbonisation our estate and operations.
• Been highly proactive in seeking external funding for net zero projects, successfully securing over £111m of grant funding for a range of net zero infrastructure and sustainable transport projects, delivering a total investment of over £212m.
• Used the planning process to good effect, securing over £5m for carbon offset and net zero funding from the s106 and Community Infrastructure Levy process.
• Worked with others to set up a Plymouth Net Zero Partnership that provides visible city leadership for tacking the climate emergency and promote wider ownership of and engagement with the net zero mission.
• Developed a website called Climate Connections which provides a place for people to go to see the part they can play in helping the city get to net zero, and to learn about what others in the city are doing.   
• Working with Plymouth Energy Community, improved the energy efficiency of 499 privately owned and rented homes, helping to address fuel poverty.
• Working with Livewest and Plymouth Community Homes improved the energy efficiency of 82 social homes, helping to address fuel poverty.
• Adopted new planning guidance to ensure that development properly takes account of the climate emergency.
• Delivered a carbon literacy training programme for the council.

With regard to last year’s NZAP, we have:

• Established a new Climate Impact Assessment process that ensures that all key decisions and major investments consider their environmental and climate impacts.
• Taken steps to address over-heating in our buildings through a new policy and systems.
• Taken significant steps towards the roll out of a strategic heat network for the City Centre and waterfront.
• Updated our procurement process to use our influencing power amongst our suppliers.
• Put in place a Green Skills Action Plan.
• Integrated net zero considerations into technical appraisals for funds such as Freeport and the Shared Prosperity Fund.
• Agreed a vehicle and programme for local offsetting options, called Ocean City Nature.

The monitoring reports are available on this website.

What does the NZAP cover?

The NZAP covers two fundamental areas:

First, it includes action commitments to reduce emissions from the facilities we own and the services we deliver.  With known emissions of 6,312 Tonnes CO₂e in 2022, the City Council is directly responsible for less than 1% of direct emissions in the city.

Second, it includes action commitments about how we will use our powers to help the city as a whole move towards net zero.  According to the Climate Change Committee’s ‘Local Authorities and the Sixth Carbon Budget’, councils influence about 30% of emissions in their locality. Ways in which councils can do this are:

• Reducing emissions in our direct control
• Procurement and commissioning
• Place shaping
• Showcasing
• Partnerships
• Involving, engaging and communicating

What is our overall approach?

The NZAP has been guided by what is known as the Carbon Management Hierarchy (CMH). This aims to give focus first to actions that avoid emissions in the first place, followed by those that reduce emissions. Lower in the hierarchy are actions to replace high carbon energy sources with low carbon alternatives, and offsetting is seen as the last resort for any residual emissions.

Actions at the top of the hierarchy are prioritised as they have a more lasting impacts on reducing emissions overall.

• Avoid – rethink business strategy to avoid carbon intensive activities
• Reduce – Conduct our business more efficiently
• Replace – Replace high-carbon energy sources with low-carbon energy sources
• Offset – offset those emissions that cannot be eliminated by the above

What are our key priorities for net zero?

The Plymouth Net Zero Challenge identifies the key city priorities as being to:

• Cut our emissions from travel
• Cut our emissions from construction and buildings
• Deliver a step-change in low carbon energy generation
• Consume responsibly and reduce our waste
• Engage the whole city in the net zero mission
• As a last resort, offset the GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions we can’t stop

The NZAP addresses these priorities by grouping action commitments under four themes:

• Transport
• Buildings, Heat and Power
• Consumption and Waste
• Behaviour change

Transport

According to our June 2023 Corporate Emissions Monitoring Report, running our fleet of vehicles accounted for 26% of our known carbon emissions in 2022.

The decarbonisation of our fleet of small vehicles is already underway. Transitioning our fleet of larger vehicles presents technological, financial and organisational challenges that require considerable forward planning.

According to the Plymouth Greenhouse Gas Report, Transport accounted for 28% of our city’s emissions in 2020. Tackling city transport emissions will require a shift in the uptake of active travel and public transport, as well as measures to replace petrol combustion vehicles with electric vehicles. The NZAP outlines policies and infrastructure proposals that support members of the public with making this change. Go to Climate Connections Plymouth website for a summary of the city-wide picture on transport emissions.

Measures set out in the NZAP that have the greatest potential to reduce emissions substantially include:

• Delivering mobility hubs, establishing an Electric Vehicle Car Club for Plymouth and pursing funding opportunities for the introduction of Zero Emission Buses (T5)
• Continuing the replacement programme for our fleet of small vans and car fleet with EV alternatives (T3).
• Implementing the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy for the City (T4)

Buildings, Power and Heat

In 2022, 49% of our corporate emissions were generated through electricity use in council buildings (29%) and to power roads and street furniture, including lighting and traffic lights (20%). Gas use to provide heat for our buildings generated 21% of our overall emissions.

Our actions will focus on the corporate buildings we use to deliver our services and the built infrastructure we maintain. We will take action to increase to its maximum the energy efficiency of our existing and future estate and to shift our energy demand to renewable energy. This also includes actions to minimise fugitive emissions and water consumption; actions to minimise carbon emissions from our repair and maintenance activities and actions to minimise carbon emissions from any new buildings we commission.

In 2020, about 28% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions were attributable to heating, and 17% of the emissions were associated with generating electricity for our buildings. The transition to net zero involves a shift towards renewable energy for heating (heat pumps and heat networks) and rapid large-scale insulation of private and commercial buildings across the city. We will act in support of the decarbonisation of power and heat in the city through our planning functions.

Go to Climate Connections Plymouth website for a summary of the city-wide picture on buildings, power, and heat emissions.

Measures set out in the NZAP that have the greatest potential to reduce emissions substantially include:

• Supporting the development of a low carbon energy generation and distribution infrastructure that will meet our future energy needs by developing a strategic heat network delivery programme for the city (BHP10).
• Maximising the opportunities for installing solar panels on more of our own assets, including delivering the Chelson Meadow solar farm (BHP3).
• Reducing the size of our corporate estate, improve the thermal energy efficiency of all remaining corporate workspaces and to work towards ending the use of fossil fuel heating (BHP1).
• Delivering schemes that support households in achieving greater energy efficiency and renewable energy generation (BHP9).
• Implement a new system of improved control and management of street lighting to reduce its emissions only where safe to do so (BHP4).

Consumption and waste

The actions in this category will fall into what are known as Scope 3 emissions. These are indirect emissions related to our activities. Our influence over these activities can be traced through a contract or partnership, or because they are generated in the conduct of our activities or whilst delivering our statutory duties.

We have influence over these emissions but cannot control them. Understanding and reporting upon these emissions is therefore more challenging. Our strategy in respect of these emissions is to control them at source, by taking measures to ensure our contractors and suppliers can demonstrate their commitment to net zero.

Go to Climate Connections Plymouth website for a summary of the city-wide picture on consumption and waste emissions.

Measures set out in the NZAP that have the greatest potential to reduce emissions substantially include:

• Using our purchasing power to reduce our consumption-related emissions and seek the highest possible standards of sustainability for our externally sourced supplies, services and works (CW1).
• Delivering a weekly kerbside food waste collection service to Plymouth households in line with Government legislation and guidance (CW4).

Behaviour change

Activities to promote positive working practices to minimise emissions associated with our everyday activities. These actions will support reductions in the transport, energy, consumption and waste sector.

According to the Sixth Carbon Budget, while 41% of emission reduction required to achieve Net Zero will be technological, the remaining 59% will include societal behavioural changes.

What are the wider benefits from the Council taking climate action?

Tackling climate change is compatible with delivering many of the City Council’s priorities, whilst also helping deliver savings through being more efficient in our operations and reducing our energy consumption.

Many of the activities detailed in this plan intend to bring about multiple co-benefits, so we do not have to make a choice between the climate and other critical issues such as economic inequality or health and wellbeing. For example, through climate action, we can improve air quality and create places that have a positive impact on our wellbeing. By promoting active travel, we can bring about some positive health benefits. The creation of green jobs provides opportunities for our city’s future prosperity. At a time of soaring inflation and cost of living crisis, actions to cut down our energy consumption and adopt renewable energy produced locally will help bring down the cost of keeping our homes warm.

What other initiatives and programmes will the NZAP complement?

The focus of NZAP is on how the Council will reduce carbon emissions.  However, the Council is also committed to other initiatives and programmes to deal with the consequences of climate change and to improve health, wellbeing and environmental quality of the city overall. Some examples are given below: 

• Through our Climate Emergency Planning Statement Climate Emergency Planning Policy, all new developments must consider the impacts of climate change, and include measures such as delivering at least 10 per cent biodiversity net gain, sustainable drainage, and soil protection. 
• Through our City Change Fund City Change Fund, we support local projects that help tackle climate change and deliver a city that is more resilient to its effects. 
• Through Thrive Plymouth Thrive Plymouth, we work to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities, including promoting healthy lifestyles.  Associated behaviour changes not only complement the NZAP’s aim to reduce emissions (for example, through encouraging active travel such as walking and cycling), but also create a more resilient population to anticipate impacts of climate change. 
• Through our Cost of living Taskforce  we are working with partners across the city to support families and individuals to access support in making their homes more energy efficient, in reducing their use of energy, and in helping to manage finances when they struggling to pay gas and electricity bills.
• The Plymouth Sound National Marine Park will encourage greater prosperity and engagement with our marine environment. Building on our current work and existing structures, it will support a new approach to how we value and work in harmony with the natural environment to deliver the greatest benefit for all. Our vision is for a National Marine Park that supports thriving businesses, connected communities and inspired visitors.
• The Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest is an ambitious new project that will see hundreds of new trees planted across the city.
• The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport is working with partners to deliver Net Zero emissions target significantly ahead of 2050. It will monitor emissions and actively drive decarbonisation with Freeport landlords and tenants. The Freeport designation and seed capital act as a catalyst in the delivery of a 10MW Green Hydrogen Electrolyser at Langage, a Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge across A38 connecting the 2 tax sites at Langage and Sherford and the Innovation Centre in South Yard. The significant opportunities in Net Zero Innovations with partners and business are key to achieving Net Zero and positioning Plymouth in growth sectors, like the supply and maintenance of Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea.
• Working in partnership with the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Resilience Forum, helping develop the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Adaptation Plan Adaptation Plan – Devon Climate Emergency addressing the impacts of climate change.  We will also work with local partners on a more detailed City Adaptation Plan and Climate Change risk assessment to help the Council prepare for and manage the impacts of climate change on the services it provides and on city’s wildlife and natural environment. 

How will we ensure that climate action is fair and leaves no one behind?

Taking climate action by reducing emissions to zero as rapidly as possible and putting in place plans to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change is the best way to bring about positive outcomes for all, including current and future generations, irrespective of age, race, disability, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We need commitment from everyone, but we understand that we are not all equally able to act. Our role is also to ensure, whenever we can, that our city’s transition to net zero is just and leaves no one behind.

To do so, we will appeal to government to ensure that the necessary resources are distributed to allow all people to make the transition to a more sustainable way of life. For example, we will continue to seek Government grants for home energy efficiency that can be redistributed to those most in need. We will be promoting green skills, training and jobs, to ensure there are good employment opportunities for all. We will continue to support transport solutions to widen access to mobility, mindful of the needs of vulnerable groups.

Our engagement activities will follow the principles set out in paragraph 2.1 of the City Council’s Statement of Community Involvement, and will promote equality and diversity.

In the delivery of all our actions, we will comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

How will we deliver the NZAP?

As a three-year delivery plan, not every measure identified in the NZAP is fully funded from day one. Some of the measures proposed are fully or partially funded; for example, because they can be delivered with existing staff resources or have grants or other funding already in place. Others will require further work to explore delivery options and funding opportunities. However, given the scale and urgency of the challenge, it is important that the plan is ambitious whilst also being within the bounds of realism, acknowledging the funding limits as well as the policy differences between the Council’s net zero target and that of national government. That is the balance we have sought to meet in putting this plan together.

In addition to the four key themes, a section of the NZAP sets out our overall approach to delivery and governance. This explains more about how we will work within the organisation and with partners to help move towards net zero.

Key terminology

Net Zero – An approach to minimise Greenhouse Gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, and then put in place offsetting measures to cancel out emissions that cannot be avoided.

Carbon Neutrality – Carbon neutrality is the same approach, and the phrase is often used interchangeably, but the expression may be misleading as focusing only on carbon, one of four greenhouse gases.

Scopes 1, 2 and 3 – are defined by an internationally accepted methodology for accounting for GHG emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Scope 1 emissions relate to the direct burning of fossil fuels by an organisation, for example fuel for transport or gas for heating, Scope 2 emissions relate to emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. Scope 3 emissions relate to all other activities where emissions are generated by a third party on behalf of an organisation, for example across our supply chain.

GHG – Greenhouse gases, including Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Fluorinated Gases.

Offsetting – a carbon offset is a financial product serving to compensate for carbon emissions by investing in a project that will reduce future emissions or capture existing CO2 from the atmosphere.