Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has outlined a number of proposals as part of an ambition to make the city carbon neutral by 2040, including an emissions-free bus fleet and doubling the number of electric vehicle charging points.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural Green Summit in Manchester, Mayor Burnham set out the vision of the city reducing its emissions ahead of the UK target of 80-90 percent of 1990 levels by 2050, saying, “A carbon-neutral city-region needn’t be some far-off ambition, the reality is that we can’t afford to wait; climate change is happening now. A green future is there for the taking if we just take that first step to go for it. For Greater Manchester, today is that first big step. Greater Manchester has never been afraid to be a pioneer – and today’s Green Summit presents us with a fantastic opportunity to be bold in our ambitions and become a UK and European Leader. The sooner we start making these changes and take that leap, the sooner we can start to see the rewards – cheaper running costs for our transport fleets, a healthier population, and a thriving green economy on our doorstep. Greater Manchester is going to lead the way for others as we move towards a cleaner, greener future.”
Proposals discussed at the summit included moving to an emissions-free bus fleet and consider speeding up the process by using new bus powers available to Mayors; and establishing a new public-sector-led commercial model for the electric vehicle charging network in 2018 in order to double the current capacity.
