View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository Low carbon spaces: area-based carbon emission reduction - a scoping study 02.06.02 Low Carbon Spaces Area-Based Carbon Emission Reduction: A Scoping Study Prepared for the Sustainable Development Commission by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research March 2002 Simon Shackley1, Paul Fleming2 and Harriet Bulkeley3 With: Sarah Mander1, Ken Green1, John Turnpenny4, Abigail Bristow5 Darryn McEvoy6, Dorian Speakman1 and Sebastian Carney1 1) Tyndall Centre at UMIST 2) Institute of Energy & Sustainable Development, De Montfort University 3) St.Catherine's College, University of Cambridge 4) Tyndall Centre at UEA 5) Tyndall Centre & Institute of Transport Studies, University of Leeds 6) Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology, University of Manchester 1 Contents: Glossary of Acronyms Summary 1. Introduction 2. Overview 3. Local Government Experiences 4. Exemplars of Low-Carbon Sustainable Energy 5. Experience in Other Countries 6. Consultees 7. References Appendix One: The Players Appendix Two: Recommendations Appendix Three: A Note on the Transport Sector Appendix Three: The Data Base 2 Glossary of Acronyms BRE Building Research Establishment CAT Centre for Alternative Technology CHP Combined Heat and Power CCL Climate change levy CCP Councils for Climate Protection CO2 Carbon dioxide CT Carbon Trust DEFRA Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DTI Department of Trade & Industry DTLR Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions EEC Energy Efficiency Commitment EESoP Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance Programme EEACs Energy Efficiency Advisory Centres ESCO Energy Services Company EST Energy Saving Trust GDP Gross Domestic Product GHG Greenhouse gas HECA Home Energy Conservation Act IDeA Improvement and Development Agency IPPC Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control Directive LA Local Authority MRETT Midlands Renewable Energy TechnologyTransfer NETA New Electricity Trading Arrangements NGOs Non-governmental Organisations OFGEM Office of Gas and Electricity Markets RCEP Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution Formatted: French (France) RDA Regional Development Agencies SDC Sustainable Development Commission SEV Sherwood Energy Village TNEI The Northern Energy Initiative URCs Urban Regeneration Companies 3 Summary of Report Background to this report The Sustainable Development Commission has been examining the prospects for an area-based approach to reducing carbon emissions in which different spatial and administrative scales are examined in relation to each other. In this way areas, organisations and initiatives which have achieved significant reduction in carbon emissions, but which are often isolated, can be joined-up and good ideas and experiences more widely shared. The Commission appointed a team led by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in January 2002 to review existing experiences on 'carbon reduction' at the sub-UK scale and to draw out lessons and recommendations for a workshop and subsequent project(s). In this report 'Scale' refers to a range of units of different spatial dimensions. We also use it to refer to a range of administrative units operating at different spatial scales (e.g. local, regional and national governments). Key Points • Actions at the local to regional scale are needed to deliver extensive carbon emission reductions, but to date most strategic thinking has focused on national policy levers and mechanisms. • There is great untapped potential for 'bottom-up' led carbon reduction at the local to regional scale to tackle social, economic and environmental objectives. • There is a welter of different agencies, programmes and policies which influence local carbon reduction and a lack of co-ordination, information-sharing and integration between efforts as a consequence. This, and limited funding, increase the transaction costs in undertaking carbon reduction work. • The representative bodies, executives and regional institutions (Assemblies, Development Agencies, etc.) will increasingly function as bridges between the 468 local authorities in the UK and central government and EU. • All local authorities have undertaken standard energy efficiency measures as part of estates and housing management. • Local authorities have limited ability to use the planning system to reduce the carbon intensity of development because the statutory framework and guidance does not permit rejection of applications on the basis of their carbon emissions. • Reducing carbon intensity (carbon per unit of energy) can occur independently of a reduction in energy intensity (energy per unit of economic activity), e.g. through use of renewable energy. Sustainable energy requires a reduction in both carbon and energy intensity. Carbon intensity can be reduced at national (or international) scales, contra most energy intensity reduction, which takes place locally. What are the sustainability implications of local or regional versus national reductions in carbon intensity? • A dozen or so local authorities have led the way on low-carbon sustainable energy over the past two decades, building up considerable experience, knowledge and skills. 4 • The conditions for successful local authority engagement are: enduring commitment from leading members of the council and from senior officers; in- house energy specialists driving the work forward; partnerships with private, public and NGO sectors; and ability to attract top-up funding. • Local learning-loops emerge around successful authorities, which spin-out to motivate other local authorities, the private sector and community groups. • Momentum and capacity are sustained by local learning-loops, bringing in new organisations, resources and enhancing the reputation and status of the partners. • The private sector is a major actor in reducing carbon emissions, often acting corporately rather than initiating partnerships, though there are excellent examples of joint approaches with local authorities and communities. • In part on account of restrictions imposed by clients, construction, design, architecture and development firms can, but rarely do, have a major influence over the embedded carbon in new development. • In the Netherlands the private and NGO sectors frequently initiate partnerships with local authorities and their customers or members: this may be a consequence of more widespread district heating systems, as well as the wider- uptake of green electricity tariffs than in the UK. • It is currently virtually impossible to measure carbon emissions at the sub-UK scale, hence to monitor the effectiveness of policy measures; this has contributed to a lack of evidence-based policymaking in the field. The Sustainable Development Commission Area-Based Work • There are, as yet, no carbon reduction programmes working across a wide range of spatial or organisational scales, though there are strong growth points, e.g. the Energy Saving Trust, the Councils for Climate Protection (Local Government Association) and regional efforts (e.g. RDAs). This absence may, to some extent, reflect the difficulty of organising such an activity. • The Sustainable Development Commission should select one region or devolved administration for the area-based work, though there are arguments for, and against, selecting a region containing more leading, average or less proactive local authorities and organisations. • Each scale in the region selected should identify a partner from another region or devolved administration with which to make a comparison, extend experience and expertise (we call this the 'low carbon pathfinder'). • The project(s) should be set against the long term carbon reduction target of 60% by 2050 as proposed by the Royal Commission for Environmental Protection. This should then be telescoped down to more immediate shorter-term milestones (e.g. 10% in next 5 years). • The extent to which a regional target can be met by activity outside of the region (determined largely through national policy) should be decided upon in advance. • Some work is already underway on local to regional climate change impacts and adaptation. At the present time it is better for the carbon reduction project to proceed as a separate activity, though there should be close exchange of information. The challenges and potential obstacles in achieving earlier, and/or larger, emission reductions need to be identified at an early stage. 5 What the Report is about As noted above, the Sustainable Development Commission appointed a team led by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in January 2002 to review existing experiences on 'carbon reduction' at the sub-UK scale and to draw out lessons and recommendations for a workshop and subsequent project(s). The process A large number of relevant individuals and organisations were informed of the project(s) via email lists. Information has been collected by submissions of project proformas (accessible via the web) and other data. Approximately 70 telephone interviews have been conducted across the UK. We would like to thank the cooperation and assistance of all those involved in providing information and their perspectives. A new strategic focus on local to regional carbon reduction is needed A large reduction of carbon dioxide emissions requires a combination of 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' policy measures. To date, the top-down options (taxation, national regulation, policies, programmes and guidance)