European Climate Change Programme

Bristol’s carbon footprint is around 2.3 million tonnes CO2 per year or 6 tonnes per capita. The major sources are energy use in homes (37%), industrial and commercial energy use (35%) and road transport (18%).

Reducing Bristol’s CO2 emissions is a priority for Bristol City Council and we have set a target to reduce the city’s emissions by 60% by 2050 from the year 2000 baseline. To work towards this we adopted a Climate Protection and Sustainable Energy Strategy in 2004. Measures include reducing emissions in our own buildings, the vehicle fleet, business travel and street lighting, as well as citywide emission reductions in sectors such as housing, business, transport and waste.

The Council’s CO2 emissions only account 2.5% of the citywide emissions, so it is crucial that we work in partnership with other organisations in the city to achieve our aims. In spring 2007 we launched the Green Capital Initiative with the Bristol Partnership, to accelerate progress towards Bristol becoming a ‘low carbon city with a high quality of life’.

We are inviting all members of the public to watch the webcasts of the climate change meetings and events, take part in online discussions about what actions we should take in Bristol to tackle climate change or sign a petition on an issue that's important to you.

This pilot project is particularly focusing on the energy performance of buildings although links will be made to general climate change activities and initiatives. To find ways of getting involved on a personal or organisational level, click on the links in the right hand menu or on 'Get involved' above.

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