Douglas Council Behind Schedule on Net-Zero Emissions Goals, Report Reveals

A new report has indicated that Douglas Council has fallen behind in achieving its emissions reduction targets to reach net-zero by 2050. The document, titled Carbon Footprint 2023-24, noted that while the authority had managed a 14% reduction over five years, it needed to have achieved 29.5% to be on track. However, Council leader Clare Wells stated that the authority was “making progress,” describing the percentage reduction as “pretty good” within a short timeframe. The report, compiled by the council’s director of environment and regeneration, suggested that due to the inherent nature of the services provided by the authority, meeting the target “may be impossible” for it. This situation comes amidst a commitment from the Isle of Man government to reduce its emissions to net-zero by 2050. Wells explained that the council needed to be “realistic” and, while it was moving “in the right direction,” services such as waste management, where emissions could not be “neutralised,” might mean the authority “may hit a ceiling” at some point. She added that the authority implemented a “wide range of initiatives,” including its management of housing stock, recycling programs, and kerbside collections. In the past year, the council achieved a 3% reduction in its emissions. The report proposed that the initial costs for local authorities to comply with future climate change legislation requirements should be covered by central government. It highlighted that in the UK, financial assistance is provided to local authorities for carbon reduction schemes, and although the Manx government has established the Environmental Protection Fund, local authorities do not have access to it. Wells indicated that since the council’s primary income stream originates from residents, the authority would need to increase rates to meet its targets. This, she explained, would mean that achieving net-zero would “take longer” as initiatives would need to be spread out over several years.