Gavin Elliott, the Chair of the MACF Steering Group and Director of the Manchester Studio at BDP, presented the MACF Annual Report for 2015, describing the progress the City is making towards achieving its carbon reducing targets, obligated under the 2008 Climate Change Act.

Based on the latest and best available data, MACF estimate the city will have achieved a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2014, against a required reduction of 41% by 2020 from the 2005 baseline. This figure represents a significant improvement on last year’s figure (14%) but still falls some way short of the target.

Whilst the evidence collated by MACF demonstrates that the low carbon agenda and low carbon behaviour is becoming more prevalent in the city, the bulk of this measurable improvement is attributable to a fall in UK coal use for energy generation; as the market responded to a fall in UK wholesale gas prices and fuelled the switch away from coal.

However, the report schedules numerous positive examples of low carbon initiatives within Manchester which are helping to reduce the city’s carbon emissions, but also highlights the scale of the challenge faced by the city in attempting to reduce its emissions to the required level.

The report highlights that although a number of programmes are already underway which will help to reduce the city’s emissions still further – like future Metrolink expansion plans, city heat networks and various cycling initiatives –there is still a significant gap between the scale of these programmes and the action required to bridge the gap between current projections and binding emissions targets.

Gavin Elliott, Chair of MACF Steering group said:

‘The positive improvement is to be welcomed - but is still relatively insignificant compared to the scale of the challenge at regional, national and international level.

'Addressing this challenge will require concerted and co-ordinated action from everyone in the city, with both the public & private sectors, and individuals playing their part in making Manchester a greener, more resilient ‘low carbon’ city’

You can read the full annual report here.

Photograph by kind permission of Jonathan Nicholson.