ScottishPower and Glasgow City Council will unveil plans later today to transform Glasgow into the UK’s first ‘net zero’ carbon emissions city.
With Scotland having set a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2045, the two organisations will start work on a range of programmes to ensure the country’s largest city reaches reaches the Scottish government net zero by 2045 target.
The first low emission zone outside of London has already been set up in Glasgow and the focus will now turn to other parts of Glasgow’s economy.
Areas to be decarbonised include transport and heating, and continued investment will be made in the electricity grid to support the low-carbon city, the partners said.
Another key focus areas of focus over the next 10 years will be electric vehicles.
“Over 70% of Glasgow’s residents live in flats with no personal off-street parking. This creates challenges to install chargers that can easily and regularly be used by residents,” ScottishPower and Glasgow City Council said.
ScottishPower is planning a charging system that overcomes this challenge and aims to become a template for other cities across the UK facing similar problems.
This will include workplace and public charging locations where people can charge away from home and in rapid time. Sites for these locations are already being assessed.
ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson (pictured) will speak at the All-Energy 2019 conference about the plans today.
He said: “Scotland has rightly put itself at the top of the race to become net zero quicker than other places round the world. To succeed, our biggest city has to be the most ambitious and progressive in removing carbon emissions.
“We have a large supply of renewable energy on our doorstep and one of only two low emission zones in action across the UK. Now, we need to invest in the technologies and programmes that transform the rest of Glasgow’s economy and make us net zero before anyone else.
“It is our hope that this declaration kick starts a race to zero with other ambitious cities, like Edinburgh, because then we will all be winners. The prize is the future of our country and our planet.”
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: “Today I make a commitment that Glasgow is determined to lead the UK’s ‘race to zero’.
“From the research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the appeals from our classrooms, our streets and civic squares, we know that emissions reduction is the issue of our times.
“We simply have to act now and the Glasgow city government will develop those partnerships necessary to get to where we simply have to be. We need to be a net zero city. And we need to be the UK’s first net zero city.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This month’s report from the Committee on Climate Change underlined the scale of the climate emergency.
“That is why the Scottish government moved quickly with changes to our Climate Change Bill to set a net zero target for Scotland by 2045.
“Today’s announcement between Scottish Power and Glasgow City Council – to make Glasgow the UK’s first net zero city – is a very welcome step.
“Reaching our goals will need exactly this kind of partnership approach – with government, business, local authorities and citizens all playing their part.”
Anderson said that for Scotland as a whole to meet the net zero goal renewable energy will have to quadruple and electricity generation has to double.
“We can’t do this if we keep inventing ways to block new renewable capacity. Onshore wind in particular has suffered as a consequence and the time has come for a fundamental rethink,” he said.
“We’ve been able to compensate to some extent by racing ahead with large offshore wind projects, but quadrupling capacity can’t rely on putting all our eggs in one renewable basket, said Anderson.
“We’ve said very clearly we will aim to invest £6bn in renewable capacity by 2022. The easier it is to do this, the quicker we all get to net zero.”