Oxford outlines Zero Carbon by 2030 plans

Oxford City Council has outlined how it aims to achieve its goal of becoming a zero carbon council by 2030, reducing its carbon emissions and making a contribution to address the climate crisis.

Due to host the Zero Carbon Oxford Summit, bringing together leaders of major Oxford institutions and businesses to discuss their decarbonisation plans, the city council will be setting a vision for reaching net zero as a city.

The council’s 4th Carbon Management Plan for 2021/22 to 2029/30 Plan outlines the intensification of the council’s decarbonisation ambition, with the authority aiming to achieve an average annual (absolute) emission cut of 10 per cent (approximately 530tCO2e) every year until 2030 – doubling its current business as usual rate of reduction of a five per cent year on year reduction target.

The council’s main focus of activity to achieve this will be to effect a rapid switch to decarbonising its power for heating systems across its buildings and its fleet vehicles.

In its proposed Budget for 2021/2022, the council will become net zero for its direct activities - where it pays the energy bills – by the end of this year, through buying only renewable energy and offsetting residual emissions. The goal of zero Carbon by 2030 will see the acceleration of existing and new programmes to reduce the council’s underlying emissions.

Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “The city council produces just one per cent of citywide emissions, but that’s one per cent too much. With our new action plan, we will end our contribution to global warming by 2030 or sooner. In this year, the council will become net zero carbon, creating a staging post for reducing all underlying emissions this decade. We’re doubling our ambition by doubling the council’s annual emissions target from five per cent to 10 per cent. Getting to Zero won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do for citizens and the city if we’re going to meet the climate crisis, and do it in a way which creates jobs and economic activity.”

Oxford City Council is to develop proposals to reduce carbon emissions its key sites across the city, after being awarded up to £10.9 million from BEIS' Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund. The grant funding will allow the council to explore the provision of heat pumps, thermal storage and battery storage powered by renewable energy, at key council sites.