First Green House Gas Baseline Inventory Report for Highland

The Highland Council’s Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) met on Friday 6 November to discuss the key findings of the first Green House Gas Baseline Inventory Report specific to the Highland region.

The report was commissioned by the Council following agreement from members on 9 December 2019. Members agreed that in order to develop policies and interventions which support the Council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2025, it was necessary to better understand the carbon footprint of the Highland region.

The report highlights that a total of 2.65 million tonnes of CO2e were emitted in Highland in 2018, while 1 million tonnes CO2e were sequestered by the region’s forests.  As a result, this means that Highland’s net carbon footprint in 2018 was just over 1 million tonnes CO2e, or an equivalent of around 4.3 tonnes CO2e per person.

The Green House Gas (GHG) Inventory Report identifies key recommendations to consider in order to further reduce the emissions arising from Highland.  The report recognises that achievement of carbon reduction targets is not entirely a responsibility, nor within the sole control of The Highland Council. Efficient and effective projects and initiatives to meaningfully reduce the emissions arising within the region will require actions from a range of stakeholders, alongside partnership working.

Chair of the Climate Change Working Group, Cllr Trish Roberson said: “Accurately monitoring and reporting on carbon emissions and climate change will help to focus attention on action to reduce carbon emissions across the Council and the wider Highland region. It is evident from this report that unless we improve the pace of change, we will not reach the target date set!”

Keith Masson, the Council’s Climate Change Officer explained that this is the first GHG report to have been produced specifically for the whole Highland Council region and offers baseline emissions data for the most recent full reporting year for which substantially up-to-date datasets were available (2018). The inventory report covers emissions generated directly and indirectly by the people living and working in the Council’s area.

He said: “We are grateful to the work carried out by Practically Green in collating a comprehensive inventory from which the Council can draw factual data in key specific areas to work towards improving working practices that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions throughout the Highland region.  The evidence base will support policy change as well as helping us to leverage funding for project work to reduce emissions from critical sectors such as energy and transport.”

The report identifies transport, and in particular petrol and diesel consumption, as one specific area in which Highland Council could play a leading role in reducing the overall emissions arising within the region.  The report indicates these emissions make up 21% of the region’s total emissions and a clear area for the Council to facilitate a strategic plan, partnership working with public and private partners to improve publically accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and car club schemes.

Members agreed a workshop should be held to discuss and agree priorities for action, which could potentially be supported and enabled by the Council to reduce emissions across the region. A further report will be prepared with recommendations for a future meeting of the full Council.