A greenhouse gas accounting tool developed for councils has been updated.
Over the past 16 months, while people around the world have been isolated and in lockdowns, we saw some significant reductions in carbon emissions levels.
This improvement was seen across the UK; however, we know this relief will be short term. As we start to recover from the pandemic, we, in local government, have an opportunity to drive and influence a long-term and sustainable reduction in emissions.
You may be thinking that acting locally can only make a small difference to a problem as big as climate change. But with more than 300 councils in the UK (and the LGA) having declared a climate emergency, now is the time to act, and lead in our local communities by setting a good example.
So, what tangible steps could, and should, you take to do this?
While council reporting on emissions is currently voluntary, consistent and easy calculation of an annual carbon baseline is an important part of managing the carbon in our organisations.
Launched in late 2020, a greenhouse gas accounting tool was developed by Local Partnerships, working with the LGA, specifically for council use. Having recently been updated to include direct and indirect emissions, as set out in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (the most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards), the tool produces summary tables and charts that can help us understand our most significant sources of emissions.
These findings are useful to help us prioritise specific local actions to reduce carbon emissions and, in turn, curtail the effects of climate change we are seeing in our local areas, the UK, and around the world.
This tool has the added reliability of being endorsed by the UK’s Climate Change Committee and reviewed by the Carbon Disclosure Project for compliance.
The clear presentation of results means that, once a council has completed its data entry, these results can be uploaded onto LG Inform, the LGA’s local area benchmarking tool. This makes it easy to see how your own council’s progress matches up to those around you.
More than 200 councils across England and Wales have already downloaded this free tool, and recent feedback shows the benefits of its use.
In my own authority, Kingston upon Thames, we have been using the tool and been very pleased with it. Councils that have already sent their data back to the LGA are benefiting from the summary charts, tables and comparisons.
What is your council waiting for?
“I’ve found this tool to be extremely helpful. It’s given me a better idea of what data to gather (and how), and clearly highlights what areas we need to target as a result.”
Wyre Council
“The greenhouse gas tool was useful for benchmarking the council’s emissions against other councils, to measure our progress in reducing our emissions.”
Colchester Borough Council
“The greenhouse gas tool proved valuable in verifying our existing reporting methods and holds great potential in supporting shared learning between local authorities through the benchmarking process used.”
West Sussex County Council
“It’s been extremely helpful for us and is really user-friendly.”
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council