The document entitled “Net Zero Carbon Route Map for Coventry” was mentioned in the article A Green Vision for Our City? by David Ridley and Tom Maidment which we published in March 2023. Ridley and Maidment heavily criticised Coventry’s Climate Change Strategy that had been launched in February 2023. The two authors wrote:

That is not a strategy. The draft “strategy” lacks any long-term vision and is entirely devoid of any coherent roadmap that harnesses the collective power of the council to deliver a net zero city.

The one redeeming piece of work is Andy Gouldson’s “Net Zero Routemap For Coventry”, commissioned by the Council, but not published alongside the strategy. (At the time of writing, we are waiting for it to be published).

In fact the Net Zero Carbon Route Map for Coventry was not completed until March 2023. It was created by Your Climate Strategy Ltd where Andy Gouldson is still an Associate. We publish the Summary below. The full text can be downloaded from the Coventry City website.

Summary

Climate change is a global problem that needs local solutions. Every city, town and community has a role to play in helping to address climate change – but what specifically should Coventry be doing?

As a vibrant and growing city with a population of 345,000 people and an important industrial base, Coventry could do all sorts of things to reduce its carbon footprint. It could retrofit its existing homes and buildings, minimise energy use and maximise the uptake of renewables in new homes and buildings, promote active travel, public transport and the transition to electric vehicles and enable further improvements in industrial energy efficiency. The fact that there are so many options that could be adopted across every area of the city points to the need for a joined-up and evidence-based approach.

This report sets out the results of analysis that assesses past, present and projected energy use and carbon emissions from the different sectors in Coventry. It shows how Coventry’s emissions have fallen by 48% since 2000, and it presents data on the split of carbon emissions from housing, other buildings, transport, industry and land-use across the city. Looking forward, it sets out the carbon budgets and targets that Coventry should work towards in order to do its bit in helping the world to avoid the worst impacts of dangerous climate change.

The report identifies and evaluates over 700 of the different options that Coventry could adopt in order to reduce its carbon emissions and transition towards net zero. The report takes into account the specific features of Coventry – for instance in its homes and buildings, its businesses and industry and its vehicle stock and transport systems – and it assesses the scope to deploy each of the different options in the city.

On this basis, league tables of the most cost and carbon effective options that could be adopted across the city are presented, investment needs and paybacks are assessed, and the wider social benefits relating to energy bill reduction and employment creation are set out.

The evidence that is presented highlights the scale and significance of energy use in Coventry – a crucially important issue given the social and economic impacts of recent energy price rises. The analysis shows that as a city Coventry spends over £620 million a year on energy in 2022 – this is money that is leaving the city as a whole every year and that is associated with growing levels of fuel poverty in households and cost challenges in businesses.

However, the analysis also shows that Coventry’s annual energy bill could be cut by £170 million a year through cost-effective investments alone. Making these investments could cut the city’s carbon footprint by nearly a quarter whilst also creating nearly 107 jobs in the city over the next 20 years. These investments could also help to cut the average household energy bill in the city by 10% and business energy bills by 24%, thereby helping to reduce fuel poverty and improve business productivity and resilience.

In the longer term, the analysis shows that Coventry can meet the legally-binding national target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Of course, there are challenges in doing this – particularly in terms of unlocking investment opportunities and building public and political support. But the evidence clearly shows that the target can be met and that tackling climate change can absolutely align with Coventry’s desire to be a productive, prosperous and inclusive city.