Glasgow Determined To Lead UK’s “Race to Zero”

The city of Glasgow, Scotland has committed to becoming the first net zero city in the UK – ahead of Scotland’s own nationwide 2045 target. The city has partnered with the energy company ScottishPower on a range of programs aimed at  reducing carbon emissions.

Previously, the city had established the first low emission zone outside of London, and has the UK’s biggest onshore wind farm, Whitelee, outside the city. It now plans to focus on other parts of Glasgow’s economy that can be decarbonized – such as transport and heating and mass electric vehicle charging.

“Scotland has rightly put itself at the top of the race to become net zero quicker than other places round the world. To succeed, our biggest city has to be the most ambitious and progressive in removing carbon emissions,” said Keith Anderson, chief executive of ScottishPower. “We have a large supply of renewable energy on our doorstep and one of only two low emission zones in action across the UK. Now, we need to invest in the technologies and programs that transform the rest of Glasgow’s economy and make us net zero before anyone else.”

As he great majority of Glasgow’s residents live in apartments with no personal off-street parking, the installation of convenient chargers presents challenges to the promotion of electric vehicles. ScottishPower is planning a charging system that overcomes this problem by including workplace and public charging locations.

According to Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council leader, the city is determined to lead the UK’s “race to zero”.

“From the research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the appeals from our classrooms, our streets and civic squares, we know that emissions reduction is the issue of our times,” she stated. “We simply have to act now and the Glasgow City Government will develop those partnerships necessary to get to where we simply have to be. We need to be a net zero city. And we need to be the UK’s first net zero city.”