Waltham Forest Council slashes emissions by 29 per cent in five years

Waltham Forest Council has achieved a sharp drop in carbon emissions as part of its continued commitment to tackle the climate crisis and work towards net zero for the borough.

Council emissions recorded in the five-year period since 2019 have fallen by almost 30 percent. In the last year alone (2023 to 24) there was a 15 percent drop, the largest annual decrease since measurements began in Waltham Forest.

The council has an ambitious climate action program, leading the way in reducing carbon emissions and is continuing to prioritise cost-effective, high-impact reductions. This includes targeting emissions reductions for its buildings, fleet of contractor and council vehicles, street lighting and general operations.

There has been real success around the council’s ongoing street lighting LED works, as Cllr Clyde Loades MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Air Quality explains: “We have a real focus on climate action and achieving net zero here in Waltham Forest.

“Our choices have delivered huge reductions in energy costs and emissions of street lighting across the borough. Since 2017, street lighting energy consumption and cost has fallen by roughly a third, with carbon emissions dropping from more than 4,000 tonnes to under 2,000 per year.

“We’ve completed highways lighting upgrades across the borough and our ongoing street lighting LED works is a brilliant example of how climate-focused action can make huge reductions to our emissions and increase energy-efficiency as well.

“I’m delighted to see the council leading the way in reducing emissions on a broader level too. We’ve slashed our emissions by almost 30 percent in scarcely more than five years and the fact that the last recorded year saw a drop of 15 percent shows that we are accelerating our progress.

“We are only just getting started and we will continue to drive improvements, particularly around our housing and council managed buildings. We know that these areas are still the council’s largest emitter of carbon emissions.

“However, as you get closer to that net zero target, reducing the remaining emissions become more and more challenging to remove and reduce so we will continue to take bold steps to ensure we keep making that progress and ensure that our borough is a climate leader in London and beyond."

Find out more about the council’s ambitious climate action programme and work to secure a net zero future for the borough.