Eight of the 10 least-polluting cities in the UK are in Southern England, a new economic report has revealed.
The city with the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per person is Bournemouth, according to the report by Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr), but a number of other cities including Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol also rank among the top 10.
Bournemouth has decreased its carbon emissions per capita at an average rate of 4.9 per cent per year since 2011, which can be partly attributed to the city’s environmental strategy.
It encourages the use of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency in new buildings and greener travel.
The report also looked at the areas with the highest number of solar panel installations and the cities best for waste recycling.
Plymouth and Exeter were among the best for renewable electricity installations, while Bournemouth was ranked second-best for waste recycling (49 per cent) and Bristol sixth (47 per cent).
Why does the South of England have more 'green' cities?
Manufacturing and industrial production emit more greenhouse gases than the service sector, which is the main economy in Southern England.
Meanwhile, the majority of the UK’s manufacturing and industrial plants are in Middle and Northern England.
However, carbon emissions per capita have decreased across all UK cities, with the exception of Belfast, Swansea and Sunderland.
Vicky Brackett, chief executive of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Legal Services division, said: “In June, the UK has announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the first major economy to do so.
“The ever-more urgent topic of climate change and sustainability has reached the highest level of government and it’s important that business recognise not only the important role they have to play, but also the opportunities that exist.”
The UK's least-polluting cities
CO emissions (kt CO) per capita (2017) |
YoY change | |
| Bournemouth | 3.0 |
-6.2% |
| Ipswich | 3.0 |
-4.1% |
| Southampton | 3.1 |
-6.3% |
| Brighton | 3.1 |
-4.7% |
| Outer London | 3.1 |
-5.3% |
| London | 3.3 |
-6.7% |
| Exeter | 3.4 |
-7.7% |
| Plymouth | 3.4 |
-5.5% |
| Reading | 3.4 |
-6.2% |
| Bristol | 3.5 |
-3.5% |
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