Energy

Targeting net zero

A recent study from E.ON and the UK Green Building Council revealed that UK cities need urgent transformation in order for the UK to meet its net zero targets by 2050. GB spoke to Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council

Streets of the Future provides collective insight from UK Green Building Council’s members and E.ON into how our cities will need to transform as we move closer to our 2050 ambition and interim targets. It aims to demonstrate the scale of the challenge ahead and how urgent action is required to ensure we can meet these goals. It does this by visually presenting some of the changes you may see across our cities in the future. Take a look!

With global warming such an urgent problem, what do you recommend cities do to meet net zero targets? Setting out your city-level climate ambition is a welcome first step. However, having a plan and strategy to get there is vital, including setting interim targets throughout your decarbonisation journey. Whilst 2050 still feels far away, the reality is that by 2030 most cities must halve their emissions, so the next few years are critical. Key climate actions that cities must take include decarbonisation of their built assets (both new and existing), increased reliance on renewable energy generation, electrification of their transportation infrastructure, and enhancing resilience through the integration of more nature-based solutions. They should also consider how the urban planning system maximises net zero carbon outcomes, and review

Net zero is an important topic at the moment, with lots of organisations striving to reach this goal, can you briefly explain what the study discovered with regards to cities meeting net zero targets? The built environment is directly responsible for around a quarter of the UK’s carbon footprint, rising to over 40 per cent if you include surface-level transport. To reach net zero by 2050, carbon emissions from this crucial sector must be substantially reduced. Over the next 10 years, our cities need to rapidly transform if we are to make enough progress to lessen the worst impacts of climate change. In practice, we’ll need to see greater integration of nature and green spaces within our cities, fewer private vehicles on the road, alongside greater access to low-carbon public transport, and an embracing of smart technology solutions to help us consume less energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Why is it so important for cities to aim for net zero? More than half of the world’s population live in cities, which are also home to most of our built assets and global economic activity. Cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Global heating above 1.5C (against pre-industrial levels) would have devastating consequences for our cities and the costs of climate action dwarf the costs of inaction. Earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change (IPCC)

concluded that humaninduced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world. Action must be taken at every level – city-by-city, neighbourhood-byneighbourhood – if we’re to avoid a climate breakdown. Can you tell us what the Streets of the Future initiative aims to achieve and how it will do this?

Cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions

their food production, waste and water management systems, as well as carefully targeting investment in more deprived communities and low-carbon industries.

And how will implementing these measures benefit the local area, the local residents and the local authority’s purse? By investing in climate solutions, city leaders can mitigate economic and social risks, deliver health benefits to local citizens, create new jobs and tackle growing inequalities between rich and poor. The move to be more sustainable will change life as we know it, supporting and enhancing the wellbeing of local individuals, businesses, communities and future generations. For example, one of the biggest changes we must embrace is reduced dependency on private vehicle ownership, accompanied with more reliable public transport links. Public transport eases congestion, reduces emissions and air pollution, whilst connecting us with others across our community.

What are the best ways for local authorities to reduce energy usage in public buildings? Fundamentally it’s about identifying the right interventions for each building; there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Low hanging fruit that doesn’t require major intervention would include retrofitting with LED lighting throughout and installing sensors to automatically turn lights off when there is low occupancy, optimising building management systems and controls, and upgrading old or inefficient appliances (e.g. kitchen and printers) and equipment

In the UK, we have one of the draughtiest housing stocks in Western Europe, meaning the increasingly costly energy we buy is leaking out of our windows, doors and walls

(e.g. radiators and fan coil units). Deeper retrofit works to substantially upgrade a building might involve increased insulation to floors and walls, increased air tightness, installing new windows or thermal bridges, and replacing central plant and machinery such as swapping gas boilers for air source heat pumps or adding photovoltaics on the roof and facades. It’s also important to look at how the building is being managed and scaling up the use of smart technology to improve efficiency and responsiveness. Finally, influencing behaviour change across those who occupy public buildings and encouraging a culture of conservation is critical – and perhaps the most challenging aspect to implement.

How can we encourage residents to reduce their energy usage to have a positive impact on the city? At the time of this interview, UK citizens are facing an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, soaring energy and food bills, and growing economic and health insecurity in a postpandemic world. So, it should be common sense to take action to reduce energy usage, reduce monthly bills, increase consumer spend, and improve health outcomes. In the UK, we have one of the draughtiest housing stocks in Western Europe, meaning the increasingly costly energy we buy is leaking out of our windows, doors and walls. In addition to cutting energy bills and reducing carbon, creating warmer and better-quality homes will bring health benefits, saving the NHS money and bring wider societal benefits. It is estimated to cost the NHS some £1.4bn per year to treat those people who are affected by poor housing.

Have you got any final top tips on net zero and energy reduction for cities? To date, local leadership has been essential in delivering some of the progress we have seen towards our climate goals, particularly in areas such as domestic retrofit. Local and city authorities must continue scaling up successful decarbonisation schemes, whilst calling for national government support to enable local action to go further and faster. Relying on the scale and ambition of current central government policy alone, the UK would fail to meet our carbon targets – both national and local. L

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