Our Progress
2022-2023 represents the third year of implementing the eight-year citywide action plan to deliver the shared ambition to make Nottingham the first UK city to be carbon neutral by 2028.
In 2021, Nottingham produced 1.125million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is an increase of 11.7% from 2020 when the city released 1.0081 million tonnes of CO2. This increase follows a similar trend as seen across the UK where the level of CO2 emissions released increased by an average of 7.8% between 2020 and 2021.
The increase in Nottingham’s CO2 emissions is thought to have been caused mainly by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and colder temperatures in 2021 which increased the use of heating in buildings that year.
However, between 2005 and 2021, Nottingham reduced its overall CO2 emissions by 44.7% and its per capita (per person) emissions by 50.7%. These reductions remain better than the overall UK averages of 38% and 43% respectively.
Some of our key achievements
- Nottingham has the second highest number of Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points per head of population for any UK core city and is above the national average
- 30% of public buses operating in the city are biogas or electric. £15m of funding was secured for 78 new electric buses and charging infrastructure for Nottingham City Transport being introduced later in 2023
- The energy efficiency of nearly 1,000 homes in Nottingham was improved by the City Council’s Greener HousiNG works
- Over 36,500 new trees have been planted in the last three years
- Both Nottingham Universities were considered in the top three most sustainable universities in the world
- Nottingham City Hospital began work on replacing its coal fired boilers saving 800 tonnes CO2e per year