10 Most Eco-Friendly Cities In The UK

Rosemary November 01, 2021 | 17:06

Which cities in the UK are the most eco-friendly? Let’s find out top 10 greenest UK cities in the article below!

Top 10 of UK's Most Eco-friendly Cities. Photo KnowInsiders

The list has been described as the most comprehensive study of its type to date and ranked cities based on scores from six overall categories.

According to the National, Professor William Powrie from the University of Southampton, the lead expert behind the Green Cities report, said: “Extreme weather events of the past year together with the focus on sustainability ahead of COP26 have brought home the need for changes in the way we live if we are to mitigate the effects of the twin environmental catastrophes of climate change and loss of biodiversity.

We have run out of time and the changes need to be made now.

"The key message from NatWest’s Green Cities Report is that we can and must all contribute to making our towns and cities as green as possible, so it could not have come at a more appropriate moment.

"The list will enable cities and people to reflect on their progress towards behaving sustainably. Simple changes can make a big difference - walking, cycling or using public transport rather than going by car, using less and recycling more; but we all need to get involved.”

Top 10 of UK's Most Eco-friendly Cities

(according to NatWest’s Green Cities Report)

1.Sheffield

2.Edinburgh

3.Cardiff

4.Brighton & Hove

5.Bristol

6.Leeds

7.Glasgow

8.Nottingham

9.Newcastle upon Tyne

10.Belfast

1.Sheffield

Photo greenworld

One third of Sheffield is within the Peak District national park and 60 per cent of the entire area is green space with the city boasting 250 parks, woodlands and gardens.

The city is estimated to contain over 4.5 million trees – more per person than any other city in Europe.

Sheffield Council’s award-winning ‘Grey to Green’ scheme regenerated the city centre with attractive new cycling and walking routes. Residents of Sheffield also use a relatively low amount of energy per person compared to other cities and have a high percentage of ULEZ vehicles.

2.Edinburgh

Photo Country Living Magazine

The Scottish capital of Edinburgh also scores highly for its percentage of green space at 49 per cent, boasting 112 parks and 30,400 acres in all – 233 square metres per resident.

Edinburgh households generate relatively low levels of waste each year per resident (0.37 tonnes) – and 38 per cent is recycled.

The city has one of the lowest levels of car commuters and a relatively high percentage of Ulez-compliant vehicles.

3.Cardiff

New statistics have revealed that Cardiff is one of the greenest cities in England and Wales.

Figures released by the Green Alliance think tank has shown that 16% of the Welsh capital’s electricity consumption is met by renewable energy, Wales Online reported.

This means that 16% of Cardiff’s electricity is sourced from household solar panels, wind turbines, and other green sources.

The Welsh capital was named fourth in the list. The city with the most renewable energy sourced was Grimsby with 28%, followed by Doncaster with 19% and Warrington with just under 19%.

4.Brighton & Hove

Brighton and Hove has been named as one of Britain’s greenest cities in a new study commissioned by one of the country’s biggest banks.

The study analysed and ranked the 25 most populous cities in Britain against 17 criteria and found that Brighton and Hove was the fourth greenest.

The accolade came in spite of the poor recycling rate of about 30 per cent – significantly lower than Manchester, Bristol and Hull, where the figure is closer to half.

5.Bristol

Photo Recycling International

How Bristol scored

% who regularly commute by bike - 6.38% (highest of all cities studied)

% of waste recycled - 48.05% (3rd highest)

% of ULEZ Vehicles - 1.26% (just above the average of 1.22%)

Electricity used per 1000 people (MWh) - 3798.3 (average 3847.7)

Green energy generated per 1000 people (MWh) - 37.4 (above the average of 19.9)

Green space (m2 per head) - 50.7 (below the average of 78.4)

6.Leeds

LEEDS City Council has secured more than £18m from the government’s Getting Building Fund to deliver three regeneration projects that will boost economic growth and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, help to tackle climate change, and improve residents’ well-being.

The council will receive a total of £18.604 million from the fund, as part of a successful £52.6 million bid made to government by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, on behalf of the region and its five local authorities.

7.Glasgow

Photo Edie

Glasgow has been named among Europe’s top green cities for real estate, living up to its name as the ‘dear green place’ ahead of the UN’s COP26 climate change summit arriving in the city this month, according to a new report from Knight Frank.

The independent global property consultancy’s annual Active Capital report found that Glasgow is among the top 20 major green cities for real estate in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Glasgow features on the list alongside Paris, London, Dublin, and Berlin.

Knight Frank’s analysis draws on a broad range of variables designed to measure the green credentials of major cities, including the level of green space and their public transport networks. Glasgow performed particularly well for the availability of public transport, its amount of green space, and the number of green-rated commercial buildings in the city – which came in at around 100.

8.Nottingham

Nottingham has the lowest carbon emissions of all of England’s largest cities, according to new Government figures.

Statistics released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change show the city’s emissions have fallen by 21 per cent since 2005.

Councillor Alan Clark, portfolio holder for energy and sustainability at Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham is at the forefront of sustainability awareness and these latest figures maintain the city’s position as the Uk’s most energy self-sufficient city.

“There has been a real move towards sustainability in the city with a wide range of organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors carrying out vital work to reduce our environmental impact.

9.Newcastle upon Tyne

Photo Sandy Irvine

Newcastle City Council is one of 50 Labour led local authorities to sign up to a commitment to eradicate carbon emissions in their areas in the next 35 years.

The pledge, coordinated by Lisa Nandy, the shadow energy and climate change secretary, will mean green transport, an end to gas heating and a programme of mass insulation of homes in cities across the UK.

Council leader Nick Forbes said work was under way to find a partner to provide green energy for the city.

He said: “We’re already planning for the long-term, procuring an energy partner for the next 40 years to help build new energy systems across the city, and we also want to look at how we can help decarbonise the way we heat our homes.

10.Belfast

Belfast has made the Top 20 official list of sustainable destinations in the world, securing a prominent place on the international stage as a leading city tourism destination committed to sustainable development and growth.

This international ranking was confirmed by the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), the world’s largest sustainability performance improvement and benchmarking programme for destinations which revealed its Top 20 list of sustainable cities at a major event in Paris yesterday.

Other leading sustainable Top 20 cities for 2021 include Gothenburg, Zurich, Sydney, Helsinki, Cork, Brussels and Glasgow.

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