Update on action to tackle climate emergency to be presented to the LEP Board
A detailed study is underway to establish how the Leeds City Region can reach net zero carbon emission by 2038 at the latest
19 February 2020
Steps being taken by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) to tackle the climate emergency will be set out before councillors and business leaders next week.
The Green Economy Panel, a partnership between local government and businesses, will give an update to the LEP Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 25.
The Combined Authority, the LEP and their partners are working towards creating a net zero carbon Leeds City Region by 2038 at the latest.
In order to meet that ambitious target and meet the City Region’s obligations under the Paris Agreement, emissions will have to be reduced by 14.5 per cent every year.
The Combined Authority is currently working with partners in North Yorkshire to carry out a detailed study to establish how different parts of the economy can rapidly decarbonise.
The results of the study, known as the North & West Yorkshire Emissions Reduction Pathways, will plot out a roadmap towards net zero emissions for both regions and produce recommendations for policymakers and councillors to consider.
Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the LEP and NP11, said: “The Leeds City Region has an ambitious target to be a net zero carbon City Region by 2038 at the latest with significant progress by 2030.
“Meeting this challenge requires urgent collective action and an acceptance that we will all have to make changes to way we live, work and travel. But it will also create amazing opportunities for us to build the kind of world our children and grandchildren can thrive in.
“In tackling the climate emergency, we can also embrace new technologies such as hydrogen power, improve the energy efficiency of our homes and other buildings, and upskill our people so they can excel in the careers of the future.”
The results of the North & West Yorkshire Emissions Reduction Pathways are expected to be published in Summer following a public consultation. The planned work and emerging results will be tested with partners between January – June 2020, through a range of stakeholder engagement events.
They will focus on five sectors of the economy – transport, building, industry, land-use and agriculture.
Policy recommendations from the study will be put before the LEP board in Autumn 2020.