September 23, 2011 4.54 pm This story is over 156 months old

Council bid to slash Lincoln’s carbon footprint

Emissions: Lincoln councillors want to tackle pollution in the city by holding a summit on the issue next year.

Each Lincoln resident is generating six tonnes of CO2 per year, with the city emitting excess of half a million tonnes, according to figures from the City of Lincoln Council.

The figures will be the topic of a councillors’ debate on climate change at the Full Council on Tuesday, September 27 at the Guildhall.

Councillor Fay Smith, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services and Public Protection, will also launch a new campaign at the meeting, called Lincoln Green.

In the report, Smith says: “Reducing Lincoln’s carbon footprint is not a new objective.

“We have been working at this for a number of years and we have already made some encouraging achievements in this direction, but we need to do more.”

In 2010/11 the total greenhouse gas emissions from the City Council alone was 2,062 tonnes — an estimated 85% from buildings and 15% from transport.

The report also highlights some of the City Council projects that have already contributed to reducing the city’s carbon footprint.

These include solar panels on the City Hall roof to heat hot water, Christmas lights replaced with environmentally-friendly LEDs, and the HELP scheme, which provides insulation to privately-owned homes.

The authority also installed solar PV panels to provide electricity at three council housing complexes and fitted energy efficient lighting in some of its car parks.

Councillor Smith also wants to organise a Lincoln Climate Change Conference in February or March 2012 to raise awareness of the challenges to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

“This conference will bring together a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector partners, as well as specialists and academics in the field, to debate how Lincoln can play a greater role in tackling this global issue,” she said.

Source: City of Lincoln Council | Photo: Liz Throop