AECOM was commissioned in early 2020 to prepare a report aimed at exploring how climate change objectives, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation, might most effectively be addressed through the emerging Surrey Heath Local Plan. The Surrey Heath Climate Change Study was published in September 2020.
The study had two main aims:
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Climate change mitigation - the aim is to understand the likely future trajectory of de-carbonisation within Surrey Heath and then explore Local Plan interventions to increase the speed of decarbonisation and therefore bring forward the date for achieving net zero emissions.
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Climate change adaptation - in a similar fashion, the aim is to understand anticipated climate change impacts and then explore Local Plan interventions to reduce risk and strengthen resilience.
Taking climate change mitigation and adaptation in turn, the comprehensive study explores the context in terms of international and national law and guidance, the baseline scenario from a Surrey Heath perspective and a review of the intervention options for the new Local Plan.
Chapter 4 of the study includes emission baseline carbon emissions for the Council as an organisation, as well as the Borough wide emissions (2017 base year). The total baseline emissions from Surrey Heath Borough Council’s buildings and assets in 2017 was 4,122 tCO2e. Currently, the greatest contributor to the Council’s own GHG emissions is procurement spend, accounting for 71.2% of emissions. The total emissions for the Borough in 2017 was 417,346 tCO2e. The greatest contributor to this was domestic energy use, accounting for 41% of emissions, with road transport the next greatest contributor (33%).