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Can we use data to baseline our current environmental position as well as utilising digital tools to ease this transition?
LGA resources
The Greenhouse Gas Accounting Tool has been developed to provide a straightforward and consistent approach for councils seeking to calculate their own greenhouse gas emissions. A calculation of an annual greenhouse gas baseline is an important part of managing the emissions in our organisations.
The tool produces summary tables and charts to help councils understand their most significant sources of emissions, which can then be used to prioritise actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have updated the tool since the first version in 2020 so please do download it again. It is free to use for all councils in England and Wales.
The tool has been reviewed by the Carbon Disclosure Project for compliance, and can be used to disclose council emissions data to the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System in the Local Government Emissions section.
Councils are also able to benchmark their emissions with other councils to understand how their performance compares with their peers. To participate in the benchmarking please submit your completed baseline by email to [email protected].
As of January 17 2023, featured alongside the tool is a Waste Emissions Calculator that has been developed by Cambridgeshire County Council and UCL on the LGA Net Zero Innovation Programme.
If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement in relation to the tool and/or the calculator, please contact [email protected].
This guidance document supports the Greenhouse Gas Accounting Toolkit, which has two reporting tabs for capturing Scope 3 emissions and aims to assist local authorities with understanding the scale of reporting, what to report and how to set an action plan for future reporting. As the understanding and interpretation of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol for Scope 3 reporting continues to develop, the GHG accounting toolkit and associated guidance will also be updated.
Climate Change: reporting guidance for local authorities
Webinar blog: The Greenhouse Gas Accounting Tool updates and scope 3 emissions
Local Partnerships were commissioned by the LGA to produce guidance for local authorities on measuring and managing scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. This set specific guidance for social care services, scope three greenhouse gas emissions, covering all the main aspects of social care spend, and applicable to both outsourced and in-house services.
In October 2021 the LGA conducted a survey of the climate change officers of all councils in England. The purposes of the survey were to assess what actions local authorities are taking to combat climate change, to assess their future needs for support in this area, and to evaluate the climate change sector support offer provided by the LGA
In February 2020 the LGA conducted a survey of Directors of Environment or equivalent of all councils in England. The purpose of the survey was both to assess what actions councils have already taken to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change and to ask them what policy changes would enable them to do this in future more effectively.
Case studies and notable practice
Digital twins are an excellent tool that can be used to create what-if scenarios and enable data-driven decision making, which will be explored by the Council and others.
The climate implications toolkit is a qualitative self-assessment tool to help all council officers assess and improve the alignment of their projects, procurements, commissioning, and services with Hammersmith and Fulham's climate and ecology strategy.
In March 2018, Dundee City Council signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, committing the Dundee Partnership to develop a Climate Action Plan within two years to reduce city-wide carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.
Bristol was European Green Capital in 2015 and although they have a fifteen-year history of working to reduce the city’s contribution to climate change, in the last couple of years Bristol City Council stepped up its climate work and became the first local authority to declare a climate emergency in November 2018.
Resources from elsewhere
UKGBC has developed a guide to support commercial real estate companies with scope 3 reporting and improve the overall understanding of scope 3 emissions within the sector. You can find the guide to Scope 3 Reporting in Commercial Real Estate.
Highlighted pages
Climate change resources
Alongside the majority of councils, the LGA has declared a climate emergency. We offer a wide range of resources to help councils address environmental sustainability.
A local path to net zero
Councils want to work as partners with government, industry and communities to tackle climate change. They are intrinsic to transitioning our places and empowering our communities and businesses to net zero future.