Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration & Local Footprints Project: Measuring Progress

Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration & Local Footprints Project:

Measuring Progress

George Tarvit

Development Manager, SSN

Chair of the SLACCP Development Group

Overview

1. Scene setting: local government and climate change 2006-2008

2. Local authority data: building emissions profiles and using the right tools for the job

3. Local Footprints Project: supporting local authority action on area-wide emissions

4. The Way Forward: some very recent developments

SCCD & potential emissions reduction indicators (and targets)

2006 Developments

Scotland’s CC Programme published, including a commitment to work with COSLA and SSN to develop a ‘Scottish Local Authority CC Programme’ (SLACCP) by end of 2007.

The Development Group met for first time in June 2006, with a membership of:

• Scottish Government• COSLA• SOLACE• Improvement Service• SSN• SNIFFER• Carbon Trust• Energy Saving Trust• UK Climate Impacts Programme

Leadership – Declaration

Legislation – LGinSAct, SCCBill

Support Progammes – improving coordination and filling gaps

Culture Change – climate change communications, training, etc

Scrutiny – improving audit and reporting

Resources – financing action

2006 SLACCP DG Established

Scotland’s Global Footprint ProjectREAP used to map area-wide consumption-based emissions, to develop scenarios and to assess efficacy of policy interventions. North Lanarkshire Council, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council. Shetland also bought in to REAP. Carbon Trust LA Carbon Management ProgrammeFocused on LA estates/services. Strategic approach developed through SSN engagement from Sept 2006.

Mitigation Tools ProliferationSSN Sept Quarterly profiled multiple approaches available to local authorities. This led to the SNIFFER Research on CC Tools in 2007.

An Inconvenient Truth!

2006 Programmes and Resources

2007 Developments

SCCD developed and launched on 16th January 2007

All LAs signed up to in first quarter of 2007

A voluntary initiative to secure and promote political and corporate leadership on CC mitigation & adaptation.

Declaration Commitments address:

• Emissions from own estate & operations.

• Incorporation of emissions-reduction into strategies, plans and programmes.

• Emission reduction engagement with local community / area. + annual reporting

2008 Key Developments

Climate Change Bill Consultation5.9 It is considered that the only workable option is to set a target based on the emissions that we produce in Scotland. However, what matters for climate change is global emissions, not just Scottish emissions, so this target should always be seen as a proxy for Scotland's impact on global emissions. Scottish policies should be designed to impact on the global emissions Scotland causes, not just those we produce. This may mean that Scottish climate change policies tackle our consumption patterns or encourage technology that may be used overseas. Such measures may not improve Scottish emissions figures, and so may not contribute towards our target, but they will help in the global fight against climate change. These supplementary measures could still be reported upon to Parliament.

National Performance Framework & SOA• Scottish Government Purpose: ’To focus the Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth’.

• Purpose Targets: ‘To reduce emissions over the period to 2011. To reduce emissions by 80% by 2050’

• National Outcomes: ‘We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production’

• National Indicators and Targets: ‘National Indicator 32 - Reduce overall ecological footprint’

• Menu of Local Indicators: ‘Council area’s carbon/ecological footprint’

Greener Scotland agenda

• Climate Change

• Sustainable Places

• Sustainable Production & Consumption

Climate Change Fund will focus on community action

Related Scottish Government Priorities

• Council estate and services (including schools)• Area-wide emissions and how council can influence reductions and give community leadership• Community awareness and action will play critical role (CPPs and schools important)• Households will be key• Personal ‘footprints’ will personalise the agenda and engage individuals.

There needs to be a ‘nesting’ and connection between individual, household, community, area, local authority and community planning partnership measures, indicators and targets.

Can we imagine the ‘Stirlingshire Climate Change Emissions Profile’ around which all local authority, CPP, community, household, and individual understanding and action could be coordinated – and on which national and local interventions (i.e. the ESSACs) could be focused?

Can we imagine all 32 local authority area emissions profiles being consistently measured and comparable – thereby enabling collective decision-making?

Scope of the local authority mitigation agenda

Indicators - Coordination and Alignment

Focus Approach

Direct, own estate/services

Carbon Trust LACMP based CO2 measures

Area-wide AEA – production focused, fits with likely national target

REAP – consumption focused

Task specific tools REAP ‘Scottish specific’ calculators

GRIP

HEED etc

Community REAP ‘Petite’ Community Calculator

Household / Individual WWF Footprint Calculator / HEED / Act on CO2

EST and others provide programmes and interventions that support action on a number of fronts.

Coordination and Alignment Potential

SNIFFER CC Tools Research – Nov 2007

Local Authority Carbon Management Programme

Calculating Baseline

Mobilise the organisation

1Set

baseline, forecast &

targets

2Identify & quantify options

3Finalise

strategy & implementati

on plan

4Implement

the plan

5

Builds a Baseline of council own operations – direct emissions

Twenty Four Councils Participating in Scotland

Councils taking action and hiring new staff to reduce their own estate emissions

South Lanarkshire, Carbon Management Officer

Parallel Initiatives

• Glasgow & Clyde Valley Structure Plan engagement

• SEPA/Scottish Enterprise engagement

• Recent SEPA-facilitated GRIP workshops in Scotland

Is a dynamic consensus-building and communications tool

Can be used to help strategic partners understand the underlying assumptions, limits and opportunities for area-wide emissions reductions.

GRIP – the Greenhouse Gas Regional Inventory Project

Developments in England – LA Indicators

NI 185 CO2 reduction from Local Authority operations PSA 27 (based on Carbon Trust Programme)

NI 186 Per capita CO2 emissions in the LA area PSA 27 (under development by AEA)

Industry

Agriculture

Domestic

Business & Public Sector

Transport

IncludedExcluded Motorways

+ end user emissions

RefineriesPower StationsGas ProductionSolid Fuel Production

Large Industrial Processes:ChemicalCementIron and Steel

EU-ETS

Source: Justin Goodwin, AEA Technologies

National Indicator 186 - boundaries

• Consumption-focused inclusive of indirect emissions

• Holds a database of all UK LA carbon footprints

• Enables LAs to develop scenarios to achieve CO2 and ecological footprint reductions

Nine LAs with software • Aberdeen City Council• Aberdeenshire Council• City of Edinburgh• Dundee City Council• East Lothian Council• Fife Council• North Lanarkshire Council• Shetland Islands Council• South Lanarkshire Council

REAP: Resources & Energy Analysis Programme

REAP : Scottish Local Authority Carbon Footprints

REAP : Scottish Local Authority Carbon Footprints

Local Footprints is a joint project between, WWF Scotland and the Sustainable Scotland Network

Funding and support from Eco Schools Scotland, the Improvement Service, the Scottish Government and ScottishPower.

From Scotland’s Footprint to Local Footprints

Goal• To assist Local Authorities and schools in making

a meaningful contribution to reducing Scotland’s footprint

• Supporting and training LAs using REAP

Targets

• 25% of local authorities have footprint reduction targets• 30% schools taking action to reduce their school’s footprint

Currently 11 Local Authorities involved:• Since 2004: North Lanarkshire, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Shetland Islands.• Since 2007: Edinburgh, South Lanarkshire, Fife, Dundee, Stirling, West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire.• Nine more to follow in 2008-9

From Scotland’s Footprint to Local Footprints

Area-wide Emissions Workshop - 20th March 2008

• AEA, SEI-Y, Tyndall Centre

• SLACCP Development Group & Local Footprints Project

• SDC and Improvement Service hosted

Area Emissions Profiles - The Cutting Edge

Scotland’s Unique Opportunity

• SCC Declaration, SOAs & the SCC Bill

• Ability to establish consistent ‘Local Area Emissions Profiles’ for use by Scottish local authorities, their CPPs and their communities

• Transparent presentation of AEA production and REAP consumption measures that link to CC target and consumption indicator at national level.

SSN now working with AEA and SEI-Y to progress this agenda.

Work in Progress: AEA Technologies, SEI-Y, Tyndall Centre

2) Domestic UK emissions due to export

1) Domestic UK emissions due to UK final consumption

5a) UK residential emissions due to travel

3a) Imported emissions to domestic industry due to UK final consumption

UK Kyoto, Climate Change Programme and Energy White Paper Emissions

SEI REAP Model Emissions

English LA indicator 186 derived from this dataset. Allocated Energy production emissions to users of energy. Excludes shipping, motorways and EUETS processes.

Scottish LA Carbon Footprints derived from this dataset

1 + 3a + 4a + 5a + 5b

1,2,5a,5b

4a) Imported emissions direct to final demand due to UK final consumption

5b) UK residential emissions not due to travel (e.g. housing)

ONS Air Accounts: But including correction for UK residents overseas and foreign combustion of fuels on UK.

LA CO2 emissions (1x1km): With some modifications to account for detailed distributions needed.

Reading Across Data: REAP and AEA

•AEA NI186 accounts for any emissions that are released inside the UK, respective of their purpose.

•SEI REAP accounts the total emissions related to UK consumption, respective of where they occurred.

• Local authority own-estate, direct emissions – Carbon Trust = target

• Local area emissions profile – AEA and REAP based = indicator

• Local Climate Impacts Profile – UKCIP based = adaptation indicator

Next Steps

"The definition of genius is the ability to make the complex simple“Albert Einstein

Carbon Counting Initiative - Consider how task/sector specific carbon counting approaches relate and add value to this simplified, ingenious approach to monitoring local government progress.

SLACCP and the Local Footprints Project are well-established, local authority-supported initiatives through which this agenda can be progressed.

More information

www.sustainable-scotland.net