Greenest local authorities revealed

With the UK committing to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050s, local authorities will be expected to play their part.

Many have declared climate emergencies and set themselves targets of becoming carbon neutral and identified actions to achieve this.

Using data from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, energy-switching service Migrate ranked UK local authorities by their CO2 emissions per capita, as well as the areas that have done the most to reduce their emissions over 10 years (2007 – 2017) to find the nations greenest authorities.

Argyll and Bute in Scotland was named the greenest, producing 0.33 tonnes of CO2 per capita. They were also the most improved authority over the decade, cutting CO2 emissions by 88.7%.

They credit this due to its forested areas which acts as a natural carbon sink. It’s estimated that the forests of Argyll and Bute currently store around 11 million tonnes of carbon and remove an additional 600 Kilotons a year.

Hackney was named London’s greenest authorities thanks to their measures to encourage walking, cycling and electric vehicles.

Top 10 greenest authorities (Tonnes CO2 per capita)

1. Argyll and Bute – 0.33 T
2. Highland – 0.59 T
3. Hackney – 2.32 T
4. Lewisham – 2.39 T
5. Harrow – 2.39 T
6. Waltham Forest – 2.40 T
7. Northumberland – 2.42 T
8. Haringey – 2.47 T
9. Redbridge – 2.64 T
10. Gosport – 2.66 T

Top 10 Most Improved Authorities

1. Argyll and Bute – (-88.7%)
2. Highland – (-86.1%)
3. Redcar and Cleveland – (-80.3%)
4. Northumberland – (-78.3%)
5. Gravesham – (-74.8%)
6. New Forest – (-62.9%)
7. Tower Hamlets – (-61.8%)
8. Halton – (-57.4%)
9. Islington – (-52.1%)
10. West Somerset – (-51.4%)

Top 10 London Authorities (Tonnes CO2 per capita)

1. Hackney – 2.32 T
2. Lewisham – 2.39 T
3. Harrow – 2.39 T
4. Waltham Forest – 2.40 T
5. Haringey – 2.47 T
6. Redbridge – 2.64 T
7. Wandsworth – 2.74 T
8. Barking and Dagenham – 2.76 T
9. Croydon – 2.78 T
10. Lambeth – 2.81 T

George Chalmers, Migrate’s CEO, said: ‘With the UK committing to net-zero by 2050, we wanted to see the current state of UK carbon emissions and how far we’ve come over the last 10 years.

‘It’s great to see so many London authorities in the top 30, which is likely a result of efforts to improve air quality in the city like moving to greener public transport services and encouraging the uptake of electric and ultra-low emissions vehicles.’