READING Borough Council has announced continued progress in cutting carbon emissions in the town, including a reduction of nearly three-quarters of its own carbon footprint.
New figures released by the council say that the town’s carbon emissions have fallen by over half since 2005.
This represents the eighth-largest reduction across 374 local authorities in the UK, with the average local authority cutting carbon footprints by just under 40%.
The council itself has also reduced its operational carbon footprint by 74% in 14 years, alongside a 50% reduction in its use of fossil fuels two years ahead of its target.
This includes the 9.3% decrease in the last year alone.
The figures were published in two reports which are now set to be discussed at the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport (SEPT) Committee on Wednesday, November 15.
The council described the figures as “encouraging” but urged that there is “still much to do” as it calls on residents, businesses, and organisations to play their part in reducing carbon emissions.
The council’s own carbon emissions, it says, represent only 1.5% of the town’s overall carbon footprint.
It comes after a number of projects undertaken by the council to cut carbon, including the use of heat pumps and solar panels in its new leisure centres, which saw an 80% reduction in the carbon emissions at Rivermead, and of 57% at Palmer Park.
The publication also follows a number of partner initiatives in the last year, including the installation of a water source heat pump at the University of Reading back in May.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust also held an IT amnesty, where old IT equipment was collected and repurposed, saving more than 370 items, 128 tonnes of carbon avoided, and 57 million litres of water saved.
It also follows Reading Climate Action Network’s Climate Festival during the summer, which saw the exhibition of Luke Jerram’s Gaia in Reading Town Hall.
Further initiatives by the council will see carbon-cutting measures put in place for the revamp of both the Civic Offices and The Hexagon theatre in central Reading.
Cllr John Ennis, lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, said: “The figures in these annual reports show how committed we are in Reading to tackling the climate emergency.
“Together, we have acted to see Reading’s carbon emissions fall by 51% since 2005, which is the eighth largest reduction in the country, and the Council itself has reduced its own carbon emissions by almost 74% in 14 years.”
Cllr Ennis explained: “While we appear to be heading in the right direction, it is obvious that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our target for Reading to be net zero by 2030.
“Some of what we can achieve is affected by outside influences, such as the policies of national government–but we can maximise our chance of success with the support of Reading’s residents, communities, businesses and organisations.
“I firmly believe that the combined small actions of many people can make a huge difference. So, I would urge everyone in Reading to do whatever they can to help Reading become net zero by 2030.”
Tracey Rawling Church, co-chair of Reading Climate Change Partnership, said: “With 2023 set to be the warmest year in recorded history, and the impacts of climate change becoming ever more evident through extreme weather, it is increasingly important that we both build resilience and reduce our impacts.
“This is a challenge that needs to be addressed across all sectors of society and we aim to bring together as many people and organisations in Reading as possible to collaborate on finding and delivering solutions.”
