Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 2023 - 2027 p2
Strategic Context and Legal Requirements
In 2019 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council passed a Notice of Motion on Climate Change. Since then, we have been working to reduce its impact on climate and nature, culminating in this Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. The plan has been guided by a number of international, national, regional and local pieces of legislation, agreements and policies:
| 2006 | NI (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006, Section 25 - District Councils have a statutory duty to promote the achievement of sustainable development in the exercise of their functions |
|---|---|
| 2008 | UK Climate Change Act (Amended 2019) - Sets legal targets for the UK to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 |
| 2010 | NI Sustainable Development Strategy |
| 2015 | Paris Climate Agreement - International treaty to limit global warming to well below 2°C and preferably to 1.5°C compared to preindustrial levels. |
| UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015) | |
| 2019 | Mid and East Antrim Borough Council pass a Notice of Motion on Climate Change |
| NI Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP2) 2019-24 | |
| 2020 | NI Declares a Climate Emergency |
| 2021 | Draft Green Growth Strategy for NI - The Executive long-term vision and framework for tackling the climate crisis, balancing our climate, environment and economy. |
| 2022 | NI Climate Change Act 2022 - legal targets for NI to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 |
| Mid and East Antrim Climate and Sustainability Policy | |
| Draft Environment Strategy for NI - sets out six strategic environmental outcomes as a guide to how we can preserve, protect and improve our environment | |
| 2023 | Mid and East Antrim Climate Action Plan 2023-27 |
| Draft Circular Economy Strategy - sets the DfE vision to create an innovative, inclusive and competitive economy, with responsible production and consumption at its core. |
Mid and East Antrim Climate and Sustainability Policy gives a commitment that Council will carry out its activities and functions in a manner which avoids any potentially negative environmental impact and states that the principles of sustainable development will be fully considered throughout all activities. It ensures Council’s compliance with all sustainability, environmental and climate change legislation to fulfil its statutory responsibility.
Mid and East Antrim Climate and Sustainability Plan has been developed to ensure Council meets the legislative requirements set out in its Climate and Sustainability Policy and delivers on its commitment to achieve:
- 30% reduction in Council operation emissions by 2030
- Council operation emissions to Net zero by 2040
- Supporting the Borough to Net zero by 2050
- Climate resilience in our buildings, public spaces and infrastructure
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Mid and East Antrim Climate and Sustainability Policy and Plan are both centred on delivering against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which define global sustainable development priorities and aspirations for 2030. They are centred around the 5P’s: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership and call for worldwide action among governments, business and civil society to tackle poverty, inequality and put the world on a sustainable path.
As a Council we recognise our major role in the development, implementation and successful delivery of the SDGs and its Community, Corporate, Local Development and Climate Plans share many of the outcomes of these goals. Council services and activities are mapped against them bi-annually and published to demonstrate our commitment to delivering the goals. In addition, sustainability screening will apply to all new projects, policies and plans to assess for sustainability impact of the proposed activity.
Climate Action Pledge NI
We have also publicly made a commitment to reducing our carbon emissions through taking the Business in the Community Northern Ireland ‘Climate Action Pledge’.
Implementation Structure
How will we achieve our climate targets?
As part of our commitment to these goals, we have put in place a number of structures to embed climate action throughout the organisation. These groups within Council meet regularly to agree targets, implement actions and review progress on climate delivery.
Senior Management Team
Council’s Corporate Plan includes an environment pillar and climate and sustainability objectives. The Director of Operations is the Environment Champion lead to ensure resources are in place and objectives are achieved within this pillar.
Environment Champions
Council is accredited to ISO14001 International Environmental Management Standard which ensures Council reduces the impact of its services on the environment and improves its environmental performance year on year.
We set environmental objectives and targets each year which are reviewed quarterly by an Environment Champion Team made up of representatives from across all Council services.
Council benchmarks it environmental performance a number of ways:
- external verification of the environmental management system;
- submission to the NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey annually. Council currently hold Platinum status;
- publish Council’s Carbon Footprint Report annually, which details resource use and environmental performance across service areas;
- annual management review of environmental objectives and targets.
Climate and Sustainability Manager
Council employ a Climate and Sustainability Manager to drive climate change performance improvement across all Council services and ensure it is appropriately aligned to the achievement of Council’s aims and objectives.
Climate Change Working Group
Council’s All Party Climate Change Working Group was formed following a Notice of Motion on Climate Change in September 2019. It meets three times a year to provide strategic direction and leadership in relation to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s response to the Climate Change Agenda.
Climate Action Team
The climate action team meet regularly to deliver a joined up approach to:
- carbon reduction (reducing emissions from transport, buildings and waste);
- carbon removal (offsetting emissions through tree planting and land management);
- biodiversity (protecting and improving habitats); and
- climate resilience and adaptation (reducing risks from extreme weather and improving the resilience of Council services and vulnerable citizens to climate change)
Agile Working Group
The work of the agile team contributes to reduced emissions through effective building use and encouraging virtual meetings and effective journey management.
Our Baseline Emissions
Council’s baseline emissions are calculated from the fuel it burns to heat its buildings and run its fleet (scope 1) and the electricity it purchases (scope 2), see Figure 2. Council is also committed to measuring and reducing scope 3 emissions and has environmental objectives in place to reduce business and commuter miles and water usage. In addition Council will investigate best practice to collate emissions from its supply chain.
Council’s baseline emission figure (scope 1 and 2) for 2019/20 was 7,159 tCO2e. 47% of emissions are from gas and 23% from oil, both used to heat buildings and 23% from fleet fuel. It is this figure (7,159 tCO2e) that Council needs to reduce by 30% by 2030 and reduce by 100% by 2040.
Council has already reduced its carbon footprint by 12% in 2021/22 from 2019/20 pre-covid year due to reduced use in some buildings and services, the introduction of energy efficiency measures and electricity being generated from more renewable sources.
Nature-based Solutions
Carbon capture (or carbon sequestration) describes how carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored as carbon. The trees, grass and hedgerows in our parks and open spaces do this naturally through photosynthesis.
The amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere in Council’s green spaces will help to reduce Council’s overall emissions and achieve net zero. Net zero for Council operations will be achieved when the carbon emissions that Council produce are reduced (through energy saving and renewable technologies) and the remaining emissions are removed through carbon capture.
Council currently owns 506 hectares of green space across the borough and 483 hectares of foreshore. This natural capital provides valued space for nature and our residents, but also captures in excess of 1000 tonnes of CO2 per year (R Gregg et al., 2021). This is equivalent to 14% of Council’s baseline emissions for 2019/20.
The woodlands, grasslands, hedgerows and healthy peatlands in our parks and open spaces can be described as nature-based solutions for climate change as they can help with climate adaptation (through reducing the impacts from flood and drought), as well as climate mitigation (through absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). In addition they support biodiversity and the health and well-being of our residents across the borough.
R Gregg et al. (2021) identified the top three principles for nature to support biodiversity and climate mitigation:
1. Protect and restore peatlands.
Peatlands are our largest natural carbon stores and it is important to protect them to reduce emissions. Council are actively restoring Keeran Moss peatland in partnership with RSPB.
2. Create new native broadleaved woodlands.
Native woodland is an effective carbon sink and Council planted over 60,000 trees between 2019 and 2021 in partnership with the Woodland Trust.
3. Protect and restore natural coastal processes:
- to allow habitats, such as saltmarsh, to maintain themselves and to sequester and store carbon. Council are working in partnership with Ulster Wildlife to re-introduce native oyster beds to Glenarm and Carrickfergus marinas to improve water quality and biodiversity.
Borough Baseline Emissions
The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides data from the UK’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory and other sources such as local energy consumption statistics, to produce greenhouse gas estimates for each local authority for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
This figure is the most recent data available (2020) showing we need to make reductions of at least 1,634.3 ktCO2e., see Figure 4.The largest source of emissions in MEA in 2020 was agriculture, totalling 429.7 ktCO2e. 402 ktCO2e were attributable to industrial emissions in the same year, making this the second largest contributor in the region.
Emissions per capita = 11.7 t CO2e
Emission per km2 of district = 1.5 kt CO2e
What We Are Doing Well
Engaging with Communities and Businesses
- Helping the agri and business sector on the journey to net zero
- MEAction for CLIMATE
Supporting the Circular Economy
- New Sullatober Household Recycling Centre will reduce waste to landfill by 1,000 tonnes per annum, improve recycling at the site by 18% and reduce carbon emissions by 800 tonnes per annum
- Supporting Circular Economy Social Enterprise Programme CIRCUS
Working in Partnerships
- New collaborative framework on climate action with DAERA, DfI, DfE and SOLACE
- Membership of 2 EV consortiums to improve EV infrastructure
Reducing Emissions
- In contract with Michelin Tyres to deliver a sustainable tyre programme for entire Council fleet, saving up to 13 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum
- £150k investment in roll out of 16 new LED lighting programmes across Council estate
Embracing Nature-Based Solutions
- Peatland restoration at Keeran Moss, Carrickfergus
- £58,000 trees planted over 28 months
Leading by Example
- Council of the Year at iESE Public Sector Awards 2023 for Transformational Climate Action
- Accredited to ISO14001 International Environmental Standard across all services
- Platinum status in Business in the Community’s NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey 2022
- Local Authority Individual/Team of the Year – Climate and Sustainability Manager, UK Awards for Excellence 2022