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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to set out accelerated plans to reduce carbon emissions in the city-region during a speech to delegates attending the Greater Manchester Green Summit 2021.
At the annual summit, which is taking place at The Lowry on 18th October, Mr Burnham will encourage over 1,000 attendees to support his plans to reduce CO2 emissions in Greater Manchester by 1 million tonnes in the next three years. The city-region has set a target to achieve net-zero carbon by 2038.
The drive to reduce emissions forms a key tenet of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s levelling up strategy and he has urged the Westminster government to commit to action on climate change the upcoming Spending Review to ensure the country can meet its carbon emissions targets.
Among plans to reduce emissions, include commitments towards improved walking and cycling routes in the city-region, and a plan to upgrade up to 50% of Greater Manchester’s buses to electric power in the next four years as part of plans to introduce a London-style transport network for buses and trams.
In addition to transport, the city-region has already established a Buildings Retrofit Taskforce to reduce emissions from Greater Manchester’s homes and public buildings, as well as developing Local Area Energy Plans to establish how every home in Greater Manchester is heated and powered. Greater Manchester plans to increase the amount of renewable energy produced locally in order to both reduce emissions and bills in the face of global price rises.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
The country is at a critical juncture on the journey to net zero. If we don’t accelerate now, we run the risk of being unable to hit our national goal of 2050. And we are in danger of welcoming the world to COP26 in Glasgow in a few weeks to discuss these crucial matters but presenting a response that is insufficient to the scale of the challenge.
“This is where Greater Manchester can help. We have a detailed, science-based plan for a levelled-up net zero city-region by 2038 – with better transport, homes and jobs for our residents. And we are ready now to up the pace over the next five years through the Levelling Up Deal we have presented to Government. If they back us at the Spending Review next week, we will be the first UK city-region on an accelerated path and a template for others. This will add real credibility to the UK Government’s COP26 image to the world.
“As the only city-region that has taken the decision to put buses under public control, we are uniquely placed to speed up decarbonisation of transport. We hope the Government will work with us to make the most of this opportunity.”
Cllr Neil Emmott, GMCA Lead for the Green City-Region, added:
I have been looking forward to this year’s Green Summit for many months, to see what is taking place across all 10 boroughs of our city-region to collectively achieve our green goals.
“Reaching net zero carbon emissions is more than just an environmental issue. Hitting the target will transform lives in the Greater Manchester, levelling us up to one of the best and greenest places in the country. It will improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities, generate good quality and secure quality jobs and make out communities better to live, learn and work in. A green city-region is a levelled-up city region; a great place to live in every sense.”