[Netnews-action] news: Manchester To Lead On UK Carbon Cutting Programme

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{{{from latest MCC's "Green City Bulletin", contact: Paola Triolo
<p.triolo at manchester.gov.uk>}}}
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Manchester To Lead On UK Carbon Cutting Programme 

Should we be putting gardens instead of roofs on top of buildings to cut
power demand? If wind turbines were installed around the edges of new
developments, how much cheaper would our power bills be? The answers to
these questions are now within our grasp, as Manchester, along with the
nine other members of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities,
becomes part of a unique partnership. The Low Carbon Cities Programme
(LCCP) will work with the ten members of the Association of Greater
Manchester Authorities to put in place a comprehensive plan to deliver
on the challenge of climate change. Manchester is one of three UK cities
selected by the government to develop a tailored action plan to slash
CO2 emissions under a new scheme announced by Minister for Climate
Change Joan Ruddock, with Manchester City Council's Green City Team
helping to beat off stiff competition from other UK cities to sit
alongside Bristol and Leeds as the Government's key partners. The pilot
will aim to deliver on a groundbreaking new compact that highlights the
leadership role cities need to take for the UK to deliver on climate
change, and agrees key action areas to accelerate the rate at which we
cut emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The lessons learned and
plans developed in Manchester can then be deployed across the UK. Under
the LCCP, the Carbon Trust and the Energy Saving Trust will work with
Manchester to develop a significant GM wide-wide plan to achieve a low
carbon economy which is both prosperous and sustainable. Manchester will
share a £250,000 fund with Leeds and Bristol to plan new and innovative
ways to achieve cuts in carbon emissions, including the generation of
renewable energy and trigeneration (locally generating electricity, heat
and cooling from a single source such as waste water or biomass). It
will aim to make it easier for people to take action on climate change,
by simplifying and improving measures that help residents, businesses
and public agencies achieve and support low carbon lifestyles, and
implement the practical actions needed to cut their carbon footprint.
Emissions across Greater Manchester are currently over 19 million tonnes
a year. In order to avoid climate change reaching catastrophic levels,
those emissions need to be cut by as much as 6 million tonnes by 2020
and this new city partnership will help quantify the impact of the many
policies and initiatives already in place and identify the additional
steps that public agencies, businesses and communities need to take in
order to achieve this goal. The experience Manchester gains from the
LCCP will be shared with other major UK cities and the lessons learned
will help create examples of best practice which could be followed by
all major urban conurbations. Another new programme from the UK Business
Council for Sustainable Energy was announced to support the delivery of
the plans, with millions of pounds available to implement practical
measures to tackle climate change. The UK BCSE will be running a series
of events around the UK to help identify and deliver on opportunities
for major carbon cuts.