**This article is written by Professor Lisa Vanhala and Sam Balch, University College London. **

  • The problem: Most local authorities and cities are significantly off-track with their original ambitious climate pledges for a number of reasons.
  • Why it matters: The speed of global climate action is well short of what is needed. Ambitious local and regional action is critical to accelerate the transition, and credible local leadership remains vital.
  • The solution: Councils should revise their original pledges, and develop credible and costed plans to deliver action. National government can help with further legal powers for councils to act, and devolve more funding to support local climate investment. A greater focus on local climate adaptation is also important, given slow global climate action.

More than 75% of local authorities in the UK have declared a climate emergency. Many councils paired this acknowledgement of humanity's perilous position with ambitious targets for reaching net zero emissions by 2030 or earlier.

A wave of such announcements in 2019 amounted to a rare moment of political unity around the biggest challenge of our time. But five years on, councils are struggling to keep their promises for a number of reasons.

Broken promises?

First, they have gaps in their legal powers and funding barriers, as well as a lack of skills and capacity at a local level. This means that they rely to a certain extent on action by others including individuals and businesses in their area.

Second, their targets are now even harder to meet given the UK government’s recent weakening of its own climate policies) which would have helped towards their goals (e.g. pushing back the ban on the sale of new internal combustion cars and vans by five years, relaxing the phase out of new fossil fuel heating systems and removing new requirements on landlords to improve energy efficiency for their tenants).

Third, a worsening financial outlook for councils means many local authorities also face hard choices on funding statutory services; making investment in climate action — which is not a statutory duty — harder still. And net zero is not cheap: the cumulative investment costs of reaching net zero across the economy are significant, with estimates of £1.4 trillion in 2019 prices.

Let’s be transparent

Against this backdrop, recent conversations with local authority climate officers, sector representatives and policy advisors suggest most are unlikely to meet their stated targets. Retaining these targets gives local citizens and businesses the impression that net zero is all in hand, and risks accusations of greenwashing. We recommend that local authorities level with their residents now, and develop alternative credible and costed plans to reach net zero.

💬 Let the author know what you think about revising climate targets by leaving a comment below

That should not mean losing any of the original passion to accelerate the pace and scale of change. It is vital. There are increasing calls, including from the UN Secretary General, for developed nations to reach net zero by 2040, ten years earlier than most plan to, spurred on by increasingly alarming scientific assessments and escalating climate impacts.

Local authorities must continue to play a leadership role by tackling emissions from their own energy use, estate and vehicles, and driving action in their wider area. But it’s important to be realistic and transparent about what is achievable. Indeed, some local authorities like Peterborough have already started to consider delaying targets, with 2040 considered to be the earliest alternative date possible.

There is now an opportunity to reset whilst retaining ambition.

Given limited resources, local authorities should focus on the biggest sources of emissions; a small number are likely to make the biggest difference. In particular: electrifying transport, rolling out low-carbon heating and deploying renewable energy generation.

Local authorities can accelerate transport electrification by encouraging free parking and permits for electric vehicles, offering reserved parking spaces and introducing local road charging schemes for fossil fuel vehicles. Councils can also support the uptake of other electric vehicles, like e-bikes and e-scooters by partnering with providers.

Low-carbon heating (e.g. heat pumps and low carbon district heating schemes) can be encouraged in a range of ways. This can include local advice and awareness-raising campaigns to accelerate the adoption of low carbon heating. It can involve installing low-carbon heating in existing public sector buildings and housing to lead by example. Local authorities can also plan for, introduce and expand low carbon district heating schemes with commercial partners, as Bristol is currently doing. Finally, it could also involve testing the use of local incentives for low carbon heating linked to property taxes as others have called for.

Likewise, local renewable energy deployment (e.g. installing solar panels or wind turbines) can be encouraged through local planning guidance which can support the development of sites and particular technologies. Councils can use their own land or buildings to install renewable energy. They can also buy renewable energy from local generators in their area. Councils can also work in partnership with community buying schemes to offer solar to households at reduced cost.

An incoming government can support further local action by making it a legal obligation (or statutory duty) for local authorities to reach net zero. They can also devolve more funding to encourage low carbon investment at a local level. Finally, they can give ambitious councils new powers for greener regulatory standards and local tax incentives.

Prepare for the impacts of climate change

Nevertheless, global climate action remains too slow, so being more prepared for the impacts of climate change is increasingly important. This typically gets less attention and resources within local authorities. Impacts like heat waves and flooding will be profound for residents, buildings, and critical local infrastructure (e.g. road and rail networks, power grids and hospitals). Leading London councils like Islington are starting to work with residents to consider what a climate-resilient Islington looks like and how to get there.

By and large local authorities have failed to deliver on their early ambition. As a result, many councils are likely to miss their carbon targets and it is important they are open with local residents about this. There is now an opportunity to reset whilst retaining ambition. This will require revising targets and developing credible and costed plans to get to net zero locally, that also build climate resilience.

Done reading? Make sure to share your own thoughts on the role of local authorities in the climate emergency by leaving a comment below ⬇️

(Image credit: Unsplash)