THE United Kingdom is currently hosting a United Nations summit that could be crucial in global efforts to minimise the impact of climate change. 

The United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties - better known as Cop26 - started on Sunday, October 31 and will continue until Friday, November 12.

As world leaders arrived at the conference, Boris Johnson warned it is "one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now". 

Representatives of 200 countries in attendance are being asked to set out their plans to cut emissions, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C – but preferably below 1.5°C – compared to pre-industrial levels.

This target was first set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

In 2019, the UK set the target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

To achieve this, the UK will need to reduce its CO2 emissions and offset any remaining emissions with measures that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as increasing the number of trees planted.

Under Somerset's Climate Emergency Strategy, 'Towards a Climate Resilient Somerset', the county's five local authorities are aiming to make Somerset carbon neutral by 2030. 

The Climate Emergency Strategy was published after the five Somerset local authorities (Somerset County Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Mendip District Council and South Somerset District Council) passed resolutions to declare or recognise a climate emergency two years ago.  

Breakdown of CO2 emissions across the county between 2005 and 2019

Between 2005 and 2019, the UK’s total CO2 emissions fell by 35.9%.

In the same period, Somerset’s CO2 emissions decreased by 34.6%.

In 2005, Somerset produced an estimated 5,125.31 kilotons of CO2. 

14 years later, this figure was 3,351.83 kilotons. 

Estimated CO2 emissions across Somerset's districts fell for seven consecutive years between 2012 and 2019. 

This followed a small increase in emissions in the county from 2011 to 2012. 

The data in the graph below estimates how many kilotons (kt) of end-user CO2 were emitted from Somerset and each of its districts between 2005 and 2019. 

End-user means the emissions from the production and processing of fuels and electricity were reallocated to users of those fuels.

What action is being taken by Somerset's local authorities to further reduce emissions?

Somerset's Climate Emergency Strategy outlines the urgent need for action.

The strategy says: "If we do not act decisively, the impacts of climate change across Somerset will be considerable.

"Our coastal communities and the Somerset Levels are at high risk from coastal flooding as the sea level rises.

"Sedgemoor was named the 3rd most vulnerable area in the UK in a recent Government report." 

It adds: "Heatwaves and droughts bring water shortages and will reduce our water quality, posing significant human health risks to the vulnerable, impacting on agricultural productivity, (and) causing damage to soils, reducing biodiversity and habitats with the loss of many native species." 

The council aims to achieve carbon neutrality by making its buildings more efficient; financially supporting projects that aim to reduce emissions and waste and raise climate awareness, and improving the county's bus services. 

A spokesperson for Somerset County Council said: "We are committed to tackling climate change and working towards a carbon neutral Somerset by 2030.

"SCC successfully bid for £4.1m from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and the council has committed a further £5.6m into this initiative.

"This will see 12 projects, including Taunton Library, Yeovil Library, Frome Library, Glastonbury Hub and County Hall all undergo extensive decarbonisation works.

"Work includes installing solar panels on roofs, using air source heat pumps rather than gas, adding cavity wall and loft insulation, installing thermally efficient window replacements, and improving ventilation.

"The funding will also cover the installation of cavity wall insulation at Milford Infants School and loft insulation at Chilthorne Domer School.

"Of the 12 projects, four are already complete, and all remaining projects apart from B Block County Hall are due to complete by the end of March 2022.  

"Early estimates indicate that the delivery of the various schemes could reduce our non-schools estate carbon output by around 27% - around 400 tonnes of carbon per annum.

"We also launched our £1 million Climate Emergency Community Fund in 2020.

"The funding is supporting projects which not only aim to reduce carbon emissions but also help to reduce waste, raise community awareness of climate change and enhance the natural environment.

"A total of 44 projects have been awarded grant funding so far.

"The council has recently announced the Somerset Bus Service Improvement Plan, which sets out a radical overhaul of services in the county and is being submitted as a bid for a share of a £3 billion funding pot made available under the Government’s 'Bus Back Better' initiative.

"The aim is to make bus services greener, more attractive, more affordable, easier to use, as well as faster and more reliable, and it forms an integral part of the Somerset’s Climate Emergency Strategy by getting more people out of cars and onto public transport.

"The bid is for £163 million from Government – potentially a huge contribution to tackling climate change in the county.

"Somerset County Council, along with the four district councils and delivery partners who developed the Somerset Climate Emergency Strategy are delivering many projects and implementing various new policies in order to tackle the Climate Emergency and start to deliver on the 63 outcomes within the strategy itself."