The following question was submitted by Ricky Lowes and answered by Councillor Mrs Maddi Bridgeman (Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene) –

Question: Given the Council's ambition to achieve Net Zero for Plymouth by 2030, what method of carbon accounting does the Council use, does it employ a carbon accountant and does its accounting include scope 3 emissions - e.g. those from imported goods?

Answer: I would like to start by saying that this Administration has kept faith with the overall strategic approach that was put in place on the back of the Climate Emergency Declaration unanimously agreed at the City Council meeting held on 18 March 2019. Since May 2021, and as we said in our manifesto, we will ‘commit to improving the environment by creating innovative plans to make Plymouth carbon neutral by 2030’. As I have made clear at scrutiny committees on our climate action plans in July 2021 and December 2021, I am passionate about the strong monitoring of our actions. As well as developing future action plans to support our 2030 net zero target, a crucial part of responding to the Climate Emergency is the regular monitoring of emissions. So, I am pleased to say, your questions are very timely.

In relation to your question: What method of carbon accounting does the Council use? The scope of CO2 emissions is a well-researched area. The most widely used definitions are those set by the Green House Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), which establishes comprehensive global standardised frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions. These well-defined areas of scope are:

Scope 1 - All Direct Emissions from the activities of an organisation or under their control, including fuel combustion on site such as gas boilers, fleet vehicles and air-conditioning leaks.

Scope 2 – Indirect Emissions from any electricity, heat and steam purchased and used by the organisation. Emissions are created during the production of the energy and eventually used by the organisation.

Scope 3 – All Other Indirect Emissions from activities of the organisation, occurring from sources that they do not own or control. These are usually the greatest share of the carbon footprint, covering emissions associated with business travel, procurement, waste and water. This methodology is used for both the Climate Emergency Action Plan and the Corporate Carbon Reduction Plan. The complexity of recording scope three emissions means it is not possible to monitor all of scope three emissions at this time. In relation to your question: Does it employ a carbon accountant in relation to the Climate Emergency Action Plan, the accounting and reporting of emissions is fully reliant on the Government’s national data provision. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy publishes several annual data sets in relation to the UK Local and Regional Carbon Dioxide Emissions Estimates. These data sets are interpreted by Exeter University who are commissioned annually by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20