Bristol’s carbon emissions
Bristol’s 472,000+ citizens and 18,000+ businesses and organisations are responsible for the emission of ~5,000,000 tonnes of Carbon dioxide (equivalent) per year (CO2e,. )
What is CO2e and why do we use it?
One tonne of emissions abbreviated as CO2e, is roughly equivalent to driving a car 2,500 miles or heating an average home for 5 months.
Carbon dioxide is just one gas responsible for climate change, there are others for example methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gasses. CO2e is a measure which includes all gases but is calculated to make them comparable, so is a more powerful way of measuring emissions globally as well as for a city context.
Bristol’s carbon emissions
Bristol has a citywide ambition to be carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030 described by the city’s One City Climate Strategy. To achieve this – every business, organisation and citizen will need to reduce their own carbon emissions, so please encourage your employer to support the city’s ambitions. See what other actions you can take here.
Bristol City Council have been working with ClimateView to create a scenario for what Bristol’s emissions are likely to be in 2030, based on a wide range of evidence and expertise. This scenario is based on what the future looks like today, but increased action at local, regional and national levels could significantly change this picture. The independent Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change recently released a report reviewing the progress to date of the One City Climate Strategy.
How to use ClimateView
Once you are in the tool you will be able to see the city’s projected emissions reduction to 2030. If you click on the breakdown, you can explore each sector in more detail. If you click further, you will be able to see the transition elements;. i.e., what are the changes in policies, actions, and projects that are likely to happen that contribute to the emissions reduction.
In every section there is a summary of the assumptions that have contributed to this scenario. Beneath each are the details of the actions that are happening in the city, i.e., the policies and commitments we are aware of. We would like to include more information from different organisations so please share using the form below.
Data and assumptions
The ClimateView scenario is based on a wide range of data sources, which are used to create a baseline of activities and emissions in 2018. Each year as more data becomes available, we will update the scenario to reflect what has happened in reality.
To determine what is likely to happen between now and 2030 we use a series of assumptions about central government policy, national trends, technological changes, regional and local policy and the climate action plans of Bristol businesses, organisations and groups.
The assumptions used in the tool are supported by analysis of evidence; such as trends in data taken from trusted sources, along with the professional opinions of colleagues specialising in the fields of transport and the built environment. Further details of assumptions that underpin each of the transition elements can be found in the tool.
These assumptions will change as more organisations announce initiatives to reduce their climate emissions and as local and national policies change. Help us update those assumptions by telling us what your organisations plans are, or initiatives we may have missed.