24 September 2021

Aberdeenshire Council to develop a Route-Map to 2030 to meet significant reductions in its own emissions

Aberdeenshire Council is developing a route-map to identify what needs to happen across the authority in order to meet a 75% reduction in its own emissions by the end of the decade.

A key aspect of ‘Route-Map to 2030’ – which aligns with the objectives of COP 26 – will be the creation of a toolkit which will provide cost-abatement curve and demonstrate which projects give us the most carbon savings for the least financial outlay so we can prioritise

Aberdeenshire Council’s first Carbon Budget was set on February 9, 2017 and in June this year the authority agreed to support the next phase of developing the Carbon Budget setting process.

Over the past four years the process has been developed further and it has also become more embedded within services.

However, the Carbon Budget has never been fully integrated into the financial budgets and this piece of work is required if the council is to fully understand the financial impact of reaching a 75% reduction in emissions by 2030.

The next five years of projects will be reflected within the Revenue and Capital budgets with an indicative budget taking us to March 2031.

In March last year, Aberdeenshire Council agreed a Climate Change Declaration which committed the authority to work towards a carbon-free society by reducing its own emissions by 75% by 2030 against a 2010/11 baseline and to work with others across the region to ensure that Aberdeenshire reaches Net Zero by 2045.

Commenting on the establishment of Route-Map to 2030, chair of the council’s Sustainability Committee, Cllr Iain Taylor, said: “I very much welcome this significant step towards reducing our carbon budget and hitting key environmental and climate improvements over the next five years. Although the route-map mirrors the objectives of COP 26, it has not been designed as such and will focus on the particular needs and requirements of Aberdeenshire.”

Cllr Peter Argyle, chair of the Infrastructure Services Committee, added: “This critical piece of work may also help us to identify the short-term and long-term resources we as a council will require in order for Aberdeenshire to become a Net Zero region by 2045. It will also provide opportunities for joining up national and local priorities and potentially help us to identify projects ready for future funding.”