GLASGOW'S GREEN CREDENTIALS

In 2019, Glasgow City Council declared a climate and ecological emergency and formed a working group that produced 61 recommendations on how the city should respond to the emergency.

Glasgow is committed to becoming a Net Zero Carbon city by 2030

Highlights

electric bus fleet size

hydrogen refuse collection vehicles (largest fleet in the world)

As of 2018 (baseline: 2006)

reduction in emissions (5yrs ahead of schedule)

Date by which Glasgow is committed to becoming Net Zero Carbon

EV charging stations

of ScotRail journeys are on zero emission trains

As of 2019 (baseline: 2006)

increase in GVA

Date by which only the cleanest vehicles will have access to city centre

Glasgow's green journey

Glasgow City Region is undertaking widespread transformation to both adapt to and mitigate against climate change.

Within these ambitions, there is a clear focus on decarbonising transport by increasing the throughput of people travelling actively or using public transport instead of private vehicles. Glasgow is also actively addressing the decarbonisation of its built environment, particularly with regards to the use of heat in homes and businesses through provision of renewable heat and district heating. Additional ambitions include the significant increase of green space within the city, particularly the city centre, as well as using green space as a way to both generate energy and sequester carbon.

Progress to date has been successful, with the city meeting and exceeding its 30% reduction target five years ahead of schedule (achieved in 2015 against a target of 2020).

District heating schemes have been piloted in the city on a smaller scale, to better understand the role district heating will play in reaching carbon neutrality. An aggressive plastics reduction strategy has been committed to, which positions Glasgow to be single-use plastic-free by 2022.

Furthermore, the city has launched a Circular Economy Routemap, setting out how it can achieve economic circularity by 2045. Additional strategies under development include the use of vacant or derelict land for either renewable energy generation or local food growing.

Circular Glasgow, an initiative of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, working alongside key partners Zero Waste Scotland and Glasgow City Council, offers businesses a powerful proposition to help lead the way through innovation, design thinking and new circular business models.

Beyond the boundaries of the city administration, the Sustainable Glasgow partnership has been established, which brings together stakeholders from various sectors across the city that can bring about change and support the transition towards a low-carbon future, with a just transition being the fulcrum around which this transition is delivered.

Work is happening across the region to build collective resilience to the impacts of climate change. Climate Ready Clyde, the City Region’s partnership initiative on adaptation, has developed the Glasgow City Region Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan, to build the resilience of the city region to climate change. The strategy commits to:

Protecting 140,000 of the most vulnerable citizens from the impacts of climate change.
Mobilising an additional £185 million a year to close the adaptation gap and resilience.
Securing a further 125 organisations to build the region’s climate resilience.