Edinburgh Council's carbon targets will be 'really, really difficult' to meet, says expert
Council leader Adam McVey says the plans are achievable
The City of Edinburgh Council is set to consider an action plan which aims to progress commitments to make the city carbon neutral by 2030.
Councillors earlier this year pledged to work towards the date, which is 15 years ahead of the Scottish Governments benchmark, but set a hard deadline of 2037.
The plan sets out 37 immediate and short-term actions to be put into place such as sustainable housing projects, finalising a new tourism strategy and encouraging greener forms of transport.
A report compiled by Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI), using experts from Leeds and Edinburgh Universities was compiled to inform the council's action plan.
It suggested that even in a best-case scenario Edinburgh would fall short of reaching a carbon neutral target of 2030 by 821ktCO2e.
In context, the number is "greater than the current emissions outputs from Edinburgh’s entire transport sector".
Dave Reay, a professor of carbon management at University of Edinburgh, called the report a "reality check". Speaking about the councils targets of 2030 and 2037, he said:
"They both look really, really difficult. I guess the good news is that there's lot than can be done but even at the high end, if everything is done there's still a gap.
"The report makes clear that gap at the moment has to be closed by things which go on at a wider scale outside of Edinburgh - what's happening in Scotland, and the UK and the world."
Professor Reay went on to explain that to meet the targets, there will need to be technological steps taken down the line which aren't part of the plans yet.
"We really need some, not magic new technologies but some technologies which at the moment are around - thing's like 'direct air capture', so that's capturing carbon dioxide from the air - but are really expensive."
Council Leader Adam McVey stressed though that he believes the dates set are achievable with public support, he said:
"It's hugely ambitious and hugely challenging but it's hugely deliverable if the city comes with us on this journey which I think they will."
He also addressed the reliance on other measures down the line, saying:
"In the work that we've mapped out we think that two-thirds of it is doable on the technology that's available now and with a reasonable investment return and not looking at measures like offset carbon.
That gives us some way to go, we will be relying on advancements in technology, vehicles, transport, heat and a whole host of other things in the city.
The council's Policy and and Sustainability Committee will discuss the plan on Friday 25th October.
Hear all the latest news from across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk on the hour, every hour, at Forth 1. Listen on FM, via our Radio Forth app, on your DAB radio, online at Forth1.com, or say ‘Play Forth 1’ on your Smart Speaker.