Sheffield named greenest city in the UK
The UK’s most eco-friendly cities have been revealed
Last updated 2nd Nov 2021
Sheffield has been named the greenest city in the UK, according to a study from NatWest and Southampton University.
Despite Sheffield being known as the old steel-making capital of the world, it has big environment goals, wanting to become a net-zero carbon city by 2050.
It has been named the greenest city in the UK due to its 22,600 acres of green space and a high volume of renewable energy production.
In 2nd place was Edinburgh, with 233.3m2 area of green space per head and a high percentage of ULEZ vehicles.
In 3rd was Cardiff, making 3 of the 4 UK nations represented in the top 3.
The UK capital of London was 11th on the list, while Glasgow, the host city of COP26, was 7th.
The UK greenest cities:
- Sheffield
- Edinburgh
- Cardiff
- Brighton & Hove
- Bristol
- Leeds
- Glasgow
- Nottingham
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Belfast
Professor William Powrie from the University of Southampton was the lead expert behind the report.
He said:
“It’s great to see Sheffield scooping the accolade of the UK’s Greenest City, with schemes like their Grey to Green campaign creating high quality green recreational and active transport corridors, helping people behave more sustainably in their daily lives, and benefitting the city’s environmental trajectory.”
He continued:
“Extreme weather events of the past year together with the focus on sustainability ahead of COP26 have brought home the need for changes in the way we live.
“We have run out of time and the changes need to be made now.
“Simple changes can make a big difference – walking, cycling or using public transport rather than going by car, using less and recycling more; but we all need to get involved.”