Sustainable Community Strategy

2020 objectives

By 2020, Nottingham will be moving towards a more sustainable economy and way of life by:

• Significantly reducing carbon emissions through greater energy efficiency and shifting to renewable energy
• Improving the efficiency with which we use natural resources, including water
• Recycling the majority of its domestic and business waste
• Improving our ability to mitigate or adapt to environmental challenges
• Creating jobs for local people in an expanding and innovative environmental sector
• Ensuring that everyone understands the environmental challenge and how we can play our part in responding to it

2020 Headline Targets

The targets for this aim are already included within the Headline Targets for World Class Nottingham and Neighbourhood Nottingham in relation to, amongst others:

• Reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 26% of 2005 levels.
• Increase the reuse, recycling and composting of household waste to 50%.
• 20% of energy used in the city will be produced within the Greater Nottingham area from renewable or low / zero carbon sources.

The Story: From Today to Tomorrow

Along with other UK cities, Nottingham’s current environmental impact is not sustainable and will need to change. Nottingham contributes 1.8 million tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere each year, with half from industry/business, one third from domestic sources and one sixth from transport. Little of the city’s energy presently comes from renewable sources. We are inefficient in our use of resources like water, we source little of our food locally and we produce too much waste.

Our world is changing and over the next decade signifi cant moves will need to be made towards greater environmental sustainability, particularly in respect of reducing our reliance on carbonbased fossil fuels. Government has committed to cut carbon emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. Rising energy prices and the cost of change also have a disproportionate impact on those on low incomes, so the social cost of environmental change will need to be managed. We also need to improve our capacity to respond to changing weather patterns as severe weather events become more likely, leading to river flooding and droughts. Climate change is already a reality.

In 2000, Nottingham hosted a national summit, leading to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, which acknowledges the important role that local government has in responding to the challenge of climate change. In signing it Nottingham City Council "acknowledges the increasing impact that climate change will have on our community in the 21st Century and commits to tackling the causes and effects of a changing climate on our city." Over 300 councils have now signed. Nottingham City Council and all partners in One Nottingham reaffirm that we are committed to playing a leading role in the city to address this challenge.