St Helens Council aims to reach net-zero for the entire borough by 2040, and it is important that we keep track of our own progress against this goal. Every year, we measure our scope 1 (directly burning fossil fuels) and scope 2 (electricity) emissions and report these to cabinet. We will also, from now on, be publishing the results of this analysis here on an annual basis to ensure transparency.
St Helens Council aims to reach net-zero for the entire borough by 2040, and it is important that we keep track of our own progress against this goal.
Every year, we measure our scope 1 (directly burning fossil fuels) and scope 2 (electricity) emissions and report these to cabinet. We will also, from now on, be publishing the results of this analysis here on an annual basis to ensure transparency.
Between April 2022 and the end of March 2023, our council directly produced 9,092 tonnes of carbon dioxide. 5,583 tonnes originate from scope 1, including burning gas to heat council buildings and local authority owned schools, and from burning petrol and diesel in our fleet. 3,470 tonnes come from electricity use across council buildings , local authority owned schools, and street and traffic lights.
A recent survey of St Helens Council employees commuting habits enabled calculation of our scope 3 commuting emissions from personal vehicle travel. Extrapolating out from those who answered our survey, we found that commuting generates approximately 525 tonnes of additional scope 3 emissions for the council each year.
Our ultimate goal is for a net-zero council and borough by the year 2040. To reach this goal, the council must reduce its own emissions to reach net-zero by this date, requiring a reduction of 541 tonnes per year. For 2022/23 this goal has been exceeded. A range of council projects aim to keep up this pace of change in the coming years.