What can you do to support Greater Manchester green plan

Date published: 29 March 2019

An ambitious plan to kickstart making the region carbon neutral within the next two decades has been unveiled – and here’s how you can play your part.

An initial five-year project will see a range of initiatives launched by Greater Manchester’s leaders to improve and protect the environment.

These include using substantially more green energy, cutting down on car journeys and making buildings more energy efficient.

Residents are being urged to do their bit to meet the challenge, which aims to reduce emissions by more than half.

Switching to a green energy supplier and making sure your home can support renewable energy are changes that can make a huge difference, bosses say.

And driving less, taking public transport more, and walking or cycling smaller journeys less than a kilometre could have a big impact.

Stockport council leader Alex Ganotis, who also leads on Green City Region for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said the goal of making GM carbon neutral by 2038 was only achievable if ‘huge reductions’ were made soon.

“So what we’ve done is a really practical plan that shows what the changes we believe we can achieve over the next five years,” he said.

“This isn’t about avoiding climate change. We’re already suffering the consequences of climate change, it is already unavoidable.

“It’s about how do we mitigate the changes that have already happened and how do we avoid further changes.

“If we carry on with the way that we’re doing things currently, we’ll be on for temperatures rising globally by three degrees.

“In terms of avoiding those catastrophic changes it’s not too late, and we have to be ambitious from this point onwards.”

The plan is proposing making homes across the region more energy efficient, with thousands of retrofits being carried out a year.

Under the proposals there could be a package of support for retrofitting your home.

Councillor Ganotis added: “Probably the biggest single contributor to carbon emissions in Manchester is the way that we heat our buildings, and other aspects.

“What you’ll do by retrofitting is not only lower carbon emissions but actually lower people’s heating and running costs.

“Also it’s about social inclusion because another big issue here is the number of people who live in fuel poverty.

“We need to put those people at the centre of this, and help first and foremost because I think they will derive the most benefit from the green agenda.

“It is really ambitious and I think we need to be held to our targets.”

Sticking to the basics – like recycling more and ‘better’ – will contribute towards the ambition of achieving a recycling rate of 65pc by 2035, leaders say.

Cutting down on the amount of plastics you use, making more effort to buy sustainable products and supporting local food growing and redistribution initiatives will all add up.

Residents can also support organisations like City of Trees, who are contributing to the region’s three million planting target.

And if you’re thinking of getting a new car, you should consider going electric, the plan advises.

Mayor Andy Burnham said: “What we’re trying to do is to help people change the way they live in terms of the way they heat their home, the kind of car they use.

“The idea is to help people make change, but actually that’s not to make life more difficult it’s  to try and save them money.

“What we’re trying to do is make waves, move in the direction of renewable energy, electric vehicles, but in doing so try and help people save money at the same time and that’s the big win, if we can achieve those things.”

Charlotte Green, Local Democracy Reporter