Taking action on climate change could save Leeds £651m per year and create 1,500 jobs for the next decade, a new report has revealed.

These social and economic benefits could be a central part of the city’s post-Covid recovery plans says the Leeds Climate Commission, which has produced a Net-Zero Carbon Roadmap for Leeds. It shows how the city can achieve its ambition of net-zero emissions by 2030 with many positive benefits for health, equality, travel, housing and the environment.

A Climate Action Readiness Assessment devised by PCAN researchers for Leeds Climate Commission has identified opportunities for unlocking climate action at the local level. The methodology, which uses participatory stakeholder workshops to determine states of readiness, was presented at a webinar for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2020 on Tuesday 10 November.

Carbon emissions from Yorkshire and Humber have fallen by well over a third and are projected to halve by 2050, a new report from the Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN) reveals. 
 
A summary carbon roadmap report for Yorkshire and the Humber, published today, shows that despite the reductions – brought about largely by national decarbonisation of electricity – the region still has much to do to stay within its share of the global carbon budget and reduce dangerous climate change. 
 

Leeds’ planned Clean Air Zone is no longer required because of businesses switching to cleaner vehicles faster than expected, a joint review by Leeds City Council and central government has concluded.
Senior councillors will discuss the conclusions and proposals to voluntarily introduce new air quality targets that go further than the national standards at a meeting of the council’s Executive Board next week.