Leading Sustainable Environment
Outcome
"We have a responsibility to ensure that we act as a leader on environmental sustainability and strive to enhance it in all aspects of how we work. Climate action, resilience, air quality, and sustainability are all facets of ambitious targets for the entire City to be net zero by 2040."
Context and impact
31%
We have cut our annual carbon emissions by 31% and energy consumption by 21% between 2018 to 2019, and 2021 to 2022.
16,000tn
Our open spaces remove around 16,000tn of carbon from the atmosphere a year, equivalent to 44% of the City Corporation’s annual carbon footprint in its own operations.
100%
Since 2018, we have been using 100% renewable electricity.
£68 million
Our Climate Action Strategy – with its £68m investment – commits us to achieving net zero carbon emissions in our own operations by 2027.
Our actions
- Continue our Climate Action Strategy work to bring the City Corporation’s direct emissions in our operations to net zero by 2027.
- Work in partnership to deliver a net zero Square Mile by 2040.
- Ensure City development minimises carbon and meets the highest standards for sustainability.
- Improve energy efficiency by retrofitting our buildings and using renewable energy.
- Create a climate resilient City by reducing the risk of overheating and flooding.
- Integrate climate considerations into all our decisions.
- Require increases in biodiversity from development.
- Enhance carbon removal in our green spaces.
- Implement a Circular Economy Strategy and embed circular economy principles into our building projects.
Performance measures
- Reach net zero in our direct emissions in our operations by 2027.
- Reduce emissions in line with 2040 net zero target.
- Progress towards World Health Organisation air quality guidelines.
- Reduce energy consumption and increase use of renewable energy.