Our carbon footprint

Background

In 2017, the Welsh Government (WG) set the ambition of achieving a carbon neutral public sector by 2030. In doing so, WG recognised the public sector is uniquely placed to influence emissions far more widely than its own, relatively small direct emissions in areas such as transport, energy and land use. As well as tackling the issues of air pollution, WG deem that this approach can have a positive impact on the local economy by reducing energy costs and by creating investment opportunities for the low carbon economy.

In March 2019, WG published Prosperity for all: a low carbon Wales | GOV.WALES (opens in a new tab) which includes Policy 20: ‘Support the public sector to baseline, monitor and report progress towards carbon neutrality.’

Achieving this aim will require, amongst other things:

• Achieving net zero carbon emissions through actions to reduce emissions and increase the removal of carbon from the atmosphere;
• Understanding the priorities, costs, stakeholders and wider impacts of actions;
• Improving understanding of opportunities to implement climate change mitigation;
• Improving understanding of the role of the public sector in influencing change in the wider society and economic system.

It is intended that the Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Carbon reporting approach replaces and builds on the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme, for which the last reporting year was 2018/19. The approach also delivers against Policy 19: ‘Welsh Government to consult on options for successor Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme’ in summer 2019.

The methodology was developed by Welsh Government, alongside partners across the public sector in Wales (including Pembrokeshire CC as ‘early adopters’) and with the consultants Aether and Carbon Forecast. It was informed by Natural Resources Wales’s net carbon status work. The full public sector net zero reporting guide can be accessed here Public sector net zero reporting guide | GOV.WALES (opens in a new tab).

The aim is to develop a universal guide set of instructions for use by Welsh public bodies, to estimate baseline emissions, identify priority sources and to monitor progress towards meeting the target collective ambition of a carbon neutral public sector by 2030.

Pembrokeshire County Council have previously completed the WG net zero carbon reporting spreadsheets for years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and have submitted the 2022/23 report by the  deadline of 4^th September 2023.

For 2022/23 CO₂ emissions data is required to be reported from the following sectors of the Council’s operations:

a. non-domestic buildings

b. water supply & treatment

c. streetlighting

d. fleet vehicles

e. business travel

f. staff commuting

g. homeworking

h. municipal waste & recycling

i. land based emissions & sequestration

j. supply chain (procurement)

Section 3.1 of the Council’s Action Plan towards Becoming a Net Zero-carbon Local Authority by 2030 outlined how the Council have historically reported on items a, c, d and e given that the Council has reliable historic data for these emission sources. Reporting on items b, f, g h, i and j had not been carried out prior to the introduction of this new methodology. However, the Action Plan recognised that our approach needs to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate changing circumstances – including this new WG net zero reporting requirement for a carbon neutral public sector by 2030.

Since implementation of the WG net zero carbon reporting methodology the following total resultant emissions have been recorded:

 

Year	CO2 emissions (kgCO2e)
2019/20	69,762,114
2020/21	74,228,410
2021/22	66,834,795
2022/23	46,274,413

 

2022/23 Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Carbon Results analysis

As anticipated, given the expanded scope of reporting using this Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Carbon reporting approach, the Council’s carbon footprint has significantly expanded as the new methodology incorporates emissions sources b, f, g h, i and j. Previously we have only reported on operational emissions from non-domestic buildings, streetlighting, fleet vehicles and staff business travel – metrics where we have reliable and accurate data. This situation is the same for all 44 public bodies in Wales who are reporting using the method.

 

Issues with the new Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Carbon reporting method

WG recognise that the new reporting method is a work in progress and will take feedback from public bodies to enhance the process.

The supply chain emissions reporting method needs significant refinement in order to be considered accurate. It is a highly variable metric year to year. It is also by far the biggest recorded emissions source. The reporting method uses financial data from Procurement systems (Atamis in the case of PCC) and applies a WG determined emissions factor. PCC have highlighted to WG that the Atamis report shows that £multimillion of Council spend each year is not mapped to the required reporting SIC codes by Atamis themselves. This issue will be present for all public sector bodies who use Atamis for their supply chain emissions reporting (the majority). Our 2022/23 carbon footprint under this methodology is lower than 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 largely due to a significant decrease in Supply Chain expenditure and resultant emissions.

Similarly for Land Use emissions the guidance from WG and PCC’s own data collection processes need to evolve to ensure every public body is reporting in the same consistent way. For example, PCC do not hold information on our systems with the same classification for land use as required within the WG carbon reporting. PCC have made ‘worse case’ assumptions regarding the definition of ‘Settlement land’ (e.g. we have not undertaken an exercise to split schools with large playing fields into ‘settlement’ and ‘grassland’. We have several woodlands in Pembrokeshire but nothing we would consider to be a ‘forest’ thus these woodlands have been included as ‘settlement’ land type. Grassland /woodlands could count as carbon sinks once we agree definitions with WG - thus improving future figures).

Emissions conversion factors for electricity and gas decreased in 2022/23 compared to previous years whilst water supply & treatment emissions factors stayed static.

Waste & recycling emissions now include process emissions not just transport.

Staff commuting and Homeworking emissions have been added to 2021/22 and 2022/23 data for thus adding two previously unaccounted for emissions sources. In the absence of actual data we have used the recommended WG reporting methodology but have strong reservations over the accuracy of the data as it involves too many enforced assumptions.

All qualifications were recorded in the reporting spreadsheets so that all can transparently see the approach the Council have taken to comply with the reporting methodology.

 

PCC’s internal net zero 2030 reporting under the Action Plan towards Becoming a Net Zero-carbon Local Authority by 2030 Results analysis

For internal net zero 2030 reporting a local authority has complete discretion to determine the scope of its commitment to become a net zero carbon local authority by 2030. In December 2020 the Council approved the Action Plan Towards Becoming a Net Zero Local Authority by 2030. This Plan agreed to measure emissions reduction against metrics where PCC have reliable data, namely, energy used in non-domestic buildings, streetlighting, fleet and business mileage.  It is suggested that the best way forward is to:

1. continue to report to Welsh Government in accordance with the requirements of the new ‘Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Reporting Guide’, and
2. continue to report with the existing scope of our net zero carbon 2030 commitment (i.e. a, c, d and e above) but adopt the corresponding Welsh Public Sector Net Zero prescribed reporting methodologies for these metrics (i.e. not reporting on b, f, g h, i and j due to concerns regarding the Procurement, Land Use, Water, Commuting and Homeworking reporting metrics which at present are comparatively blunt instruments).

The latest PCC Net Zero Carbon 2030 CO2 Emissions Progress Summary can be seen in Table 1:

 

Table 1. Net Zero Carbon 2030 - CO2 Emissions Progress Summary:

Net Zero Carbon 2030 - CO2 emissions progress summary

Non-Domestic buildings

Key measures of success	2016/17 result	2017/18 result	2018/19 result	2019/20 result	2020/21 result	2021/22 result	2022/23 result	2021/22 v 2022/23 progress	2021/22v 2022/23 % change
Consumption (KWh)	49,217,855	48,446,296	48,272,333	46,243,055	38,962,782	42,339,035	39,307,973	Improved	-7.18%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	12,765	11,762	10,285	9,651	7,858	8,326	7,449	Improved	-10.53%

 

Streetlighting

Key measures of success	2016/17 result	2017/18 result	2018/19 result	2019/20 result	2020/21 result	2021/22 result	2022/23 result	2021/22 v 2022/23 progress	2021/22v 2022/23 % change
Consumption (KWh)	2,993,488	2,953,158	2,883,115	2,596,207	2,221,101	1,934,651	1,053,130	Improved	-45.58%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	1,345	1,135	886	719	562	447	222	Improved	-60.34%

 

 

 

 

Fleet mileage

Key measures of success	2016/17 result	2017/18 result	2018/19 result	2019/20 result	2020/21 result	2021/22 result	2022/23 result	2021/22 v 2022/23 progress	2021/22v 2022/23 % change
Mileage (miles)	3,255,494	3,307,554	3,463,415	4,006,230	3,762,644	5,002,287	4,024,816	Improved	-19.54%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	3,734	3,714	3,648	3,936	3,776	3,665	3,938	Deteriorated	+7.44%

 

 

 

 

Business Mileage

Key measures of success	2016/17 result	2017/18 result	2018/19 result	2019/20 result	2020/21 result	2021/22 result	2022/23 result	2021/22 v 2022/23 progress	2021/22v 2022/23 % change
Mileage (miles)	1,841,242	1,786,730	1,858,148	1,853,126	1,152,411	1,657,004	1,995,909	Deteriorated	+20.45%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	692	659	681	657	402	566	716	Deteriorated	+26.50%

 

 

 

 

Totals

Key measures of success	2016/17 result	2017/18 result	2018/19 result	2019/20 result	2020/21 result	2021/22 result	2022/23 result	2021/22 v 2022/23 progress	2021/22v 2022/23 % change
Consumption (kWh)	52,211,343	51,399,354	51,155,448	48,839,262	41,183,863	44,273,686	40,361,103	Improved	-8.84%
Mileage (miles)	5,096,736	5,094,284	5,321,563	5,859,356	4,915,055	6,659,291	6,020,725	Improved	-9.59%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	18,399	17,137	15,563	14,963	12,598	13,004	12,325	Improved	-5.22%

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

• Progress comparison is 2021/22 vs 2022/23
• For non domestic buildings PCC have collected data back to 2003 when emissions were 18,564 tC02 pa. Compared to 22/23 a 60% reduction has been acheived since 2003
• Although fleet mileage decreased the carbon conversion factor increased so emissions are higher even at decreased mileage. PCC also aquired a bus company 2022/23 thus expanding the fleet and making the MPG effeciency of the overall fleet deteriorate
• For consistent comparison non-domestic streetlightling energy does not include WTT (but does not include T&D losses for power, transport does include WTT