The following interim targets are based on reduction from 2019 levels (our most recent data) to where we need to be in 2023 (the end of the period covered by this plan). 35,000 fewer petrol and diesel cars on our roads, or an equivalent of 25% reduction in car mileage. In 2019 there were almost three hundred thousand vehicles registered in County Durham, of which only 800 were electric. 170,000 (55%) of those vehicles were cars, but they accounted for nearly two thirds (60%) of vehicle fuel consumption. If car users switched to busses or cycling and walking for just one quarter (25%) of journeys, this target can be reached. 55,000 fewer domestic gas boilers, or an equivalent drop in heating use in our homes. There were 250 thousand dwellings in County Durham in 2019. Heating all these homes caused 670 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide. We can reduce this by turning the heating down, adding better insulation, or swapping our gas boilers for low carbon heaters such as air source heat pumps. If we start with adding more insulation, the carbon emissions from heat will reduce while our homes are made ready to accept low carbon heating in future. 20% reduction in public sector gas use, through boiler replacements and improved efficiency. A lot of gas can be saved in large buildings through better control systems, improved insulation, and better plant equipment with heat recovery. Even with all of that, many boilers will need to be removed and replaced with low carbon options. The Council is planning a programme of boiler replacements and urges other organisations to do the same. 20% reduction in business and industrial gas use. As in the public sector, we need businesses and industrial organisations to curb their gas use in line with our carbon reduction targets. Better controls, insulation, and more efficient plant should all be introduced to achieve this. In addition, there may be opportunities to use more carbon efficient processes in some industries. 20% reduction in emissions from grid electricity. By the year 2023 we estimate that the carbon factor of the national grid will have dropped below 200g of CO2e per kWh to around 185g of CO2e per kWh. This will be achieved through increased use of wind and solar electricity across the country and in countries from which we import electricity. That alone could result in a 13% reduction in emissions from electricity use. However, with the switch from fossil fuels to the use of electricity in heating and transport, we can expect our demand on the electricity grid to increase in that time, undoing some of the good that the change in carbon factor had achieved. It is essential that we continue to increase the amount of renewable generation we have in County Durham, and on Council land and buildings, while also continuing to improve the energy efficiency of our electrical appliances across all sectors, including at home. 10% increase in renewable electricity generation. In 2020, more than 500GWh of renewable electricity was generated in County Durham. By 2023 this must be increased by at least 10% to 550GWh. 5% offset through sequestration works such as tree planting and peatland restoration. It will be exceptionally difficult to achieve all the targets in all these sections in these two years. We cannot force residents to give up their gas boilers or fossil fuel cars, nor is it guaranteed that big businesses, industries, and other big emitters will meet their obligations. We must therefore anticipate that a significant proportion of the county’s carbon emissions will need to be offset. If 5% of the total footprint can be offset consistently by 2024, that would be a good start. 5% of the footprint is 109,036 tonnes each year. It is not possible to achieve this through tree planting alone. It must be achieved through a combination of tree planting, peatland restoration, and other methods which may not all be readily quantifiable. A best estimate will be produced to assess progress on this target.
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