Falkirk Council’s ambitious new climate change strategy has been given the green light by councillors at a meeting of the Executive on 17 October.

The Climate Change Strategy 2023-2030 sets out how the Council will significantly reduce its carbon footprint and become a greener local authority over the next seven years, to meet its organisational, national and legal carbon emission targets.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to the effects of climate change and securing a just transition and green economic recovery are the central themes underpinning the strategy. The Council recognises achieving a net zero carbon position by 2030 with the financial challenges it faces will be significant, however, officers will continue to take all necessary steps in working towards this ambitious local target.

The far-reaching strategy sets out several approaches the Council should take in order to reduce carbon emissions locally while supporting global efforts to tackle climate change. It accounts for:

• Buildings and energy – reducing emissions in operational Council buildings and supporting residents in the Falkirk area to reduce their energy related emissions.
• Transport – decarbonising the Council fleet and encouraging residents to choose more sustainable travel choices. Waste management – support the reduction in waste sent to landfill in line with national policy.
• Procurement – reducing the climate impact of products and services purchased by Falkirk Council.
• Business sector, and non-commercial land use – support the business, industrial and agricultural sectors to reduce emissions and explore carbon sequestration to further reduce the impact of emissions in the Falkirk area.

Climate emergency action plan

Councillors also heard how the organisation is progressing with its Climate Emergency Action Plan, which elected members agreed to support in February 2022.

Since the last climate emergency update in 2022, work has gone in to quantify the Council’s position in terms of progress toward the organisational 2030 net zero target and the national emissions reduction target of 75% reduction in emissions by 2030.

This year, Falkirk Council’s emissions were 7% lower than they were in 2021/22 - the largest annual reduction achieved since the Council started reporting on emissions in 2013/14, contributing to an overall 25% reduction in that time.

An estimated 19,522 tonnes of carbon equivalent savings have been identified through actions such as: the Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency project (due to take place during 2023), alternative fuel sources such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, electrification of the Council fleet, and a visionary new project converting the Council’s residual waste to energy. 

Councillors will hear how the estimated carbon emissions saving from these projects equates to the electricity consumption emissions of more than 34,000 households in the UK, based on average energy usage figures from Ofgem. 

The full report can be read online.