Climate Change - Climate Change Strategy
Coventry is aiming to become the UK’s leading sustainable green city. We want to take a central role in the Green Industrial Revolution and improve life for everyone who lives and works here.
This means helping local people gain the skills they need for new green jobs, creating more parks and green spaces to support nature and wellbeing, and making homes and buildings more energy efficient to help cut bills and reduce emissions.
We know that climate change is a serious challenge, but it’s also a chance to make things better—for our health, our environment, and our economy. By taking action now, we can create a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future for Coventry.
The Council has a key role to play in this. Tackling climate change is one of the top priorities in the One Coventry Plan, and we’re committed to leading the way.
Community involvement
It’s important that we understand the views of residents, businesses, and organisations across Coventry when it comes to climate change and sustainability. Their input helps shape our approach and make sure it reflects the priorities of the people who live and work here.
While the Council has a leading role in tackling climate change and building a more sustainable future, we can’t do it alone—we need to work together with communities and build widespread support. When consulted, over 80% of people said they were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about climate change. Many also said they were worried about the future, especially for younger generations.
Some of the most common concerns raised included a call for the Council to be more ambitious, more chances for communities to get involved in projects, protecting green spaces and trees, and greater support for making homes more energy efficient. We’ve listened to this feedback and made changes to the Strategy to reflect what matters most to local people.
At the same time, around 19% of respondents told us they don’t see climate change and sustainability as major concerns. We recognise that not everyone is motivated by environmental issues, but many of our key actions— like making homes warmer, lowering energy bills, creating greener streets, improving air quality, and generating new job opportunities—will benefit everyone, regardless of their views on climate change.
Route to net zero pathway
As well as net zero by 2050, the Council is also striving to achieve a 68% reduction by 2030 in line with government targets. This will require national drivers and significant investment from government, coupled with activity at a local level.
The Council have entered into a 15-year Strategic Energy Partnership with E.ON to take a bold and innovative approach to decarbonising the city at pace and scale – more of which is detailed below.
Analysis of carbon emissions per sector, identified homes and transport as 2 priorities as the 2 biggest sources of emissions (30% and 29% respectively). Industry (16%), commercial buildings (15%) and waste (10%) are also key sectors where action needs to be focussed.
Council’s carbon emissions
The Council’s carbon footprint includes emissions from activities that are directly under its control. This covers things like energy use in Council buildings, fuel used by fleet vehicles, staff travel for work, street lighting, and emissions from services the Council outsources.
In 2024 to 2025, energy use across Council buildings fell by 3.8%, even though the number of buildings increased. However, overall carbon emissions went up by 2%. This was due to unexpected changes in the carbon impact of grid electricity and the city’s Heatline system, which cancelled out the energy savings.
Despite this small rise in emissions, the Council’s operational buildings have still achieved a 51% reduction in emissions compared to the 2017 baseline. This means the Council has already exceeded the UK’s public sector target of a 50% reduction by 2032.
The Council remains committed to cutting emissions even further. It will continue to secure funding and work with the Strategic Energy Partnership to help reach the next target - a 75% reduction by 2037.
The Council continues to invest in projects to boost energy efficiency, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and increase the amount of renewable energy linked to its operations.
In 2024 to 2025, £1.87m was invested in building upgrades, including installing LED lighting, low carbon heating systems, and solar panels. Key headline statistics for the operational property estate are as follows:
- number of solar systems installed - 37
- total solar PV capacity installed - 1,462 kWp
- 2024 to 2025 electricity generated from solar PV - 849,154 kWh
- 2024 to 2025 waste heat used via district heating – 1,728 MWh
- 2024 to 2025 proportion of energy used from renewable sources - 21.7%
- 2024 to 2025 proportion of energy used from local renewable sources – 14.5%
- number of buildings with low carbon heating – 42 (out of 175)
Please note: that more may be added when the 2024 data becomes available.
Carbon disclosure
CDP is a respected global non-profit organisation that runs the world’s largest system for tracking and reporting environmental impact. It is recognised by the UK Government and provides a platform for cities, companies, and regions to understand their environmental performance, compare with others, and follow best practices.
In 2024, Coventry City Council received a “B” score from CDP. This is slightly lower than the “A-” score achieved the previous year, but still matches the average score for cities in the region and around the world. Despite this, the Council remains fully committed to improving its performance and aims to achieve an “A” score next year.
With the new Climate Change Strategy now in place and publicly available, the Council is confident it can build on its progress and strengthen its environmental leadership.
