HCCSP recently presented its work at an APSE Energy Webinar, showcasing the first-of-its-kind Green Asset Sequestration Framework. The framework is free for all other English local authorities to use.
Since the webinar on Tuesday 13 October, more than 25 councils have downloaded our tool.
Our tool builds on the Welsh Local Government Association’s Land and Carbon Sequestration and Storage Guidance, adapting it for English local authorities. It helps councils understand the carbon sequestration value of their green assets, including parkland, wetlands, grassland and forests.
East Herts District Council and Three Rivers District Council have already used the tool to support their strategic reporting.
It is important to remember that the tool does not replace action to reduce gross emissions. Instead, it provides a credible and robust method to give decision-makers a clearer picture of residual emissions and the carbon contribution made by existing council-owned green assets.
In East Herts' annual report, the current estimate is that council-owned trees and grasslands sequester at least 750 tonnes of CO2e each year.
The tool will be updated as the data evolves, and to ensure that all users of the tool have the latest and most accurate data we require email addresses and names before the tool can be downloaded. If you’d like access to the tool please fill out the form on the bottom of the Green Asset Sequestration page!