In mid-2023 the Commission appointed independent academics to complete a technical assessment of Yorkshire and the Humber’s carbon reduction pathways, identifying how to achieve net zero by 2038.
A Carbon Reduction Assessment for Yorkshire and the Humber (the technical assessment referred to throughout this report) is based on the methodology developed for A Net Zero Carbon Roadmap for Leeds and a series of ‘Mini Stern Reviews’ conducted for other places around the UK led by Professor Andy Gouldson of the University of Leeds. The research models a suite of hundreds of potential interventions, both for their carbon effectiveness and their cost effectiveness, and examines how combinations of these measures can contribute to meeting decarbonisation targets.
It aims to provide an objective basis for comparing different measures to inform policy analysis, decision making, and communications and engagement.
In addition to previous, similar studies, the technical assessment includes modelling of land-use interventions, such as conversion of some livestock farmland to forestry, and provides analysis of the co-benefits of decarbonisation measures, for example the health benefits of increased physical activity and better air quality arising from non-motorised transport.
The Carbon Reduction Assessment acknowledges that it has only considered the technical and economic aspects of the measures it has modelled and not, for example, any political or ethical obstacles. The assessment is based on analysis of the region’s territorial emissions, meaning those produced within the region’s borders. This is because the UK’s target of net zero by 2050 is based on territorial emissions and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero publishes progress biannually. Exclusions from this data are aviation and shipping, imported goods and services, and biomass. In Our Carbon Story we address this gap by drawing on other research that uses consumption-based data.
For full details, including data tables and graphs, please refer to A Carbon Reduction Assessment for Yorkshire and the Humber:
Research data on consumption emissions can be found here: localfootprint.uk
