Work to cut highways carbon paves the way for new approach

THE conclusion of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow and the deal agreed has been met with mixed reactions.

The summit was billed as the last, best chance to keep the goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C within reach and avoid the worst impacts of climate extremes.

Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that target was “definitely alive” after the conference, telling the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show: “We are very far from that goal but we did manage to get together this big package of different decisions that will allow us and gives us very, very specific direction on what we need to work on in order to get there.”

Among them, she welcomed the historic – if watered down – move against coal in the new Glasgow Pact, calling it a “very difficult issue” given the social consequences for so many people around the world, especially in poorer countries, but applauded the fact that “for the first time in this context we mentioned coal and fossil fuels”.

On the other hand, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai said the Cop26 summit had not lived up to climate activists’ expectations. “I think leaders must prioritise people and the planet over profits in this moment,” she said. While Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg reiterated her message that the conference was more ‘blah, blah, blah’, saying: “It is not a secret that Cop26 is a failure. It should be obvious that we cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place.”

As the deal is digested and the important work of turning words into action begins, it is heartening to hear of concrete measures being undertaken in the Westcountry to reduce carbon emissions.

In this case, ‘concrete’ in a literal sense.

Devon County Council has committed to becoming a net-zero carbon authority by 2030, and a major area of operation that generates a significant carbon output is that of its highways work.

Everything from the hot asphalt used to create road surfaces to the patching of potholes and building of new infrastructure has a carbon cost, and the authority has now audited its highways work and created a ‘carbon calculator’ so it can drive down its impact. Even using slightly cooler asphalt can make a real difference.

Councillor Andrea Davis, the Council’s Cabinet member charged with responsibility for climate change response, has described the approach as an “absolute gamechanger”. And apparently other authorities and organisations across the country are watching closely.

Highways work is obviously a hefty emitter, but such an approach should be adopted by all departments of all our local authorities in the Westcountry. And carbon calculators, of one kind or another, could be deployed by other organisations and businesses. In the process it will not only identify potential green solutions, but may also pinpoint waste, whether of energy or other resources, and ultimately save money. A win-win all round.