Our Progress
Sunderland City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019. This declaration committed Sunderland to reduce its citywide emissions and help global temperature rise stay well below 2.0°C, and pursuing 1.5°C by 2050, in-line with the Paris Agreement of 2015. As part of the declaration, Sunderland's central aim is to become carbon neutral by 2040 and to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
To align as closely as possible with the Paris Agreement, Sunderland had a target to reduce annual citywide emissions by 16.1% by 2020 from 2015 levels, which it exceeded with emissions reduced by 26.1%. Following this, Sunderland must now reduce emissions by 14.4% year-on-year. These goals have been adopted based on science-based recommendations from the Tyndall Centre.
Sunderland City Council's low carbon ambitions for its own operations are to achieve carbon neutrality and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Annual Carbon Data Report 2022/23
The City Council publishes an Annual Carbon Report. The most recent report (PDF) [1MB] provides an estimation for the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Sunderland City Council in the 2022/23 financial year as well as citywide carbon emissions for Sunderland in the 2021 calendar year (the latest for which citywide data was available at the time).
In 2021, Sunderland emitted a net 1.089 million tonnes of CO2. This represents a 6.5% increase from 2020 levels. It is important to note that emissions in 2020 and 2021 were significantly influenced by COVID-19 and this increase follows a similar trend as seen across the UK where the level of CO2 emissions released increased by an average of 7.8% between 2020 and 2021. The increase in Sunderland's CO2 emissions is thought to have been caused mainly by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and colder temperatures in 2021 which increased the use of heating in buildings that year.
Between 2019 (the most recent year that data is available that is not impacted by COVID-19) and 2021, Sunderland reduced its overall CO2 emissions by 6.2%. These reductions remain better than the overall North East and UK averages of 3.3% and 3.0% respectively. Furthermore, since 2015 (Sunderland's citywide baseline for carbon emissions) and 2021, Sunderland reduced its overall CO2 emissions by 21.0%. These reductions are also better than the overall North East and UK averages of 16.5% and 17.3% respectively.
The city is not currently on track to meet its second recommended interim target of a 61.5% reduction against a 2015 baseline by 2025 (which is aligned with a 14.4% annual reduction). If this is to be achieved by 2025, the city must reduce annual emissions rapidly over the forthcoming years. Sunderland is, however, on track to meet its first interim recommended 5-year carbon budget period target of 5.8 MtCO2 between 2018 - 2022 (aligned with the city's carbon budget calculated by the Tyndall Centre of 8.2 MtCO2 between 2020 - 2100). This is in part due to emissions reductions targets being exceeded in previous years.
The main causes of citywide CO2 emissions in Sunderland in 2021 were domestic energy (37%) and transport (29%). Emissions from most sectors have reduced since the citywide baseline in 2015, albeit each sector is experiencing different rates of emissions reduction. Since 2015:
- Emissions from industrial energy decreased by 14%
- Emissions from commercial energy decreased by 72%
- Emissions from the public sector decreased by 3%
- Emissions from domestic energy decreased by 15%
- Emissions from transport decreased by 19%
- Emissions from agriculture increased by 43%
- Emissions from waste management decreased by 1%
CDP
In July 2023 Sunderland disclosed its citywide environmental data to CDP, to measure and understand Sunderland's environmental footprint and progress on climate action. Sunderland was 1 of 23 UK cities, and one of 120 globally, to be awarded an 'A' rating and 'leadership' status for the ambition of its citywide mitigation and adaptation efforts. This is Sunderland's third 'A' rated CDP disclosure, following previous disclosures in 2021 and 2022. Our CDP report for 2023 can be found here here (PDF) [1MB] and historic CDP reports can be found on the CDP website. The Low Carbon Team is currently working on the 2024 disclosure which is due to be submitted in September.
One Planet City Challenge (OPCC)
In 2023 Sunderland joined hundreds of other cities in the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) One Planet City Challenge to better understand if the city is doing enough to meet its climate ambitions. Through the challenge, the WWF assessed Sunderland's vision and actions towards climate change mitigation and adaptation against the goals of the Paris Agreement to determine whether Sunderland is making its fair contribution to help to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Sunderland recently received a strategic feedback report which analyses the city's strengths and areas to prioritise for the future.
The report shows that, compared to other cities, Sunderland has a strong vision backed up by impactful climate action. It also shows that political commitment and adaptation actions are strengths, and Sunderland are now focussing on improving mitigation actions and adaptation through climate risk assessment and adaptation planning.
Quarterly Reports
'The Council is committed to reporting its operational emissions on a quarterly basis. Read our most recent quarterly reports:
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