How Cities are going Low Carbon while Supporting Economic Growth - Edward Clarke

1. Demonstrating change:
How Cities are going
while
Supporting Economic
Growth
Edward Clarke March 18th, 2014

3. Project Aims
• Move ‘green growth’ debate from why to how
• Cities are the best placed to drive change locally
Q: How are cities supporting low carbon economic growth?

4. How can cities drive green growth?
- 3 Underlying principles
- 5 Ways of intervening
- Clear Practical Examples

5. Role for local government

6. Three Underlying Principles
Leadership
Drives
priorities, sets
example
Knowledge
Identifies key
emitters,
Benchmarking
Networks
Enhances
opportunities
and capabilities

7. Five types of interventions
Procurement
RegulationSupporting Business Incentives
Finance and Funding

8. Case Studies
Supporting Business
• Where is it happening?
– South West, Green Business Networks
– Belfast, Sustainable Energy Park
• What are the transferable lessons?
– Varied network
– Effective dialogues
– Target locally relevant benefits
– Identify and address local issues

9. Case Studies
• Where is it happening?
– New York, Greener Greater Building Plan
– Liverpool, cutting red tape for infrastructure
Regulation
• What are the transferable lessons?
– Targeted
– Innovative
– Long term and complementary
– Supported
– Flexible

10. Case Studies
• Where is it happening?
– Recycling Rewards
– Carbon Trust and ‘Nudge’ programmes
• What are the transferable lessons?
– Targeted
– Multi faceted
– Backed by infrastructure
– Scale
Incentives

11. Case Studies
• Where is it happening?
– Birmingham, pooling purchases
– Hamburg, roads as recycling ‘test-beds’
• What are the transferable lessons?
– Low Cost
– Identify local innovators
– Open new markets
– Support for local firms
– Act as first-movers
Procurement

12. Case Studies
• Where is it happening?
– Manchester etc, Co-operatives
– London, Co-Investment
• What are the transferable lessons?
– Assistance and facilities for co-ops
– Focus on specific local issues
– Match different risk and financial needs and resources between public
and private partners.
Finance and Funding

13. What about Aberdeen?
City
CO2 emissions p.c.
2010 (t)
CO2 emissions p.c.
2011 (t)
Growth CO2 p.c.
2010–2011 (t)
Middlesbrough 17.48 14.89 -2.60
Newport 11.20 10.22 -1.00
Grimsby 10.32 9.25 -1.10
Warrington 8.79 7.73 -1.10
Doncaster 8.17 7.59 -0.60
Wakefield 7.69 7.21 -0.50
Aberdeen 7.62 7.03 -0.60
Belfast 7.46 6.77 -0.70
Crawley 7.24 6.65 -0.60
Telford 7.02 6.58 -0.40
UK average 7.50 6.90 -0.70

14. Challenges
• Cities are limited by national policies
• Councils have stretched resources
• Long Term strategy beyond political cycles
• Minimising extra burdens on businesses
• Cities need to go low carbon, some are supporting not
choking the local economy.

15. Thanks for your Time
Edward Clarke
e.clarke@centreforcities.org
@cities_ed