So, what is the Oh Yes! Net Zero™ campaign?
From the early abolition of slavery to embracing the role of UK City of Culture 2017, Hull has led the UK before, and we will do it again. Oh Yes! Net Zero is a unique opportunity for everyone in the city region to come together once more and make a positive impact on the world around us. This time, we will do it by working together to drive down our carbon footprint and make sure we lead the way in the UK’s fight against the effects of climate change on our city and our region. We want to do it our way and lead the way in becoming net zero for the UK. There aren’t many cities that could do this, but we really can.
Let’s face facts: Climate change can’t be solved overnight, but we need to start somewhere and, if we all take small positive steps now through working together and supporting each other, we can really make a big difference together.
What are we doing?
Out of the six largest industrial clusters in the UK, the Humber is responsible for around 37% of CO2 emissions in the UK.1 We need to focus on reducing the carbon footprint of the region.
We also know that cities have a crucial role to play in energy reduction, climate protection and climate adaptation.2 In 2019, the largest overall regional reduction in emissions since 2018 was reported in Yorkshire and the Humber (down 4.9%)3 but there is still work to be done. Our objective is for Hull to lead the way in demonstrating how a city can become net zero.
How will we do this?
The Oh Yes! Campaign will unite the city and region as we work together to lead the UK to a cleaner, greener, and more prosperous future. The campaign will demonstrate how we can make net zero happen in Hull, sharing our learnings with the Humber and beyond.
Oh Yes! Net Zero is a positive action-led campaign that everyone can be a part of. It is about saying “Yes!” to the challenge, saying “Yes!” to making positive changes to the way we live, work and travel and saying “Yes!” to being part of something very special for our future generations in Hull.
We all need to come together now to prove how much we care about the future of our region, our workplaces, our homes, and our communities and reduce our carbon footprint. Let’s all say Oh Yes! Net Zero, because we CAN all make a difference and help lead the way to a net zero future. Sign up now to be part of it.
Can Hull and the Humber lead the UK on the way to Net Zero? Oh Yes!
Around a quarter of all UK greenhouse gas emissions are generated by industry4 and some 27% come from domestic sources3.
The Humber is the UK’s largest cluster by industrial emissions, emitting more than 12 million tonnes of CO2 per year5(or 37% of emissions from the UK’s six largest industrial clusters1).
Whilst industrial emissions have fallen year-on-year since 20056, they will need to be drastically cut in order for the UK to meet the ambitions of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the UK’s reduction targets set down in the Climate Change Act.
This means that in the Humber we have the biggest opportunity to drive positive change for our region and the whole of the UK.
The energy intensive industries based in the Humber were born through the industrial revolution and the use of fossil fuels. They continue to be vital to the economy of our region and the UK, and have an important role to play in helping the UK to achieve its net zero ambitions – as we lead the new revolution – the green industrial revolution.
We all need to pull together to see what changes we can make (however small) to reduce our carbon footprint. This means that what we can do as individuals at home is vital too. Although considerably smaller than our industrial emissions, domestic emissions in the Humber still contributed 1,500 ktCO2e to global warming in 20156.
The Humber region incorporates the four local authorities of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.
We are proud to be home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm investments tied to decarbonisation, which are at the leading edge in establishing new transitional green energy that will lead the way to replace fossil fuels in the UK.
The critical importance of our role in the UK achieving its net zero ambitions has also been recognised through frontrunner status (awarded in October 2020) in the Government’s £1 Billion carbon capture deployment fund (Oh Yes! That’s how important we are).
Our history, our geography and our innovation combined, means Hull and the Humber is the perfect place and home to the best people to lead the way in driving positive change. This change will lead us to an exciting and prosperous future that will drive down our carbon emissions and ensure the UK is net zero for our community and create a prosperous region for future generations.
Can I really make a difference? Oh Yes!
Every one of us can make a difference and we will do this by changing to a low carbon lifestyle and taking our first steps on the road to net zero. Even the smallest of changes can have an impact and there are easier ways to do this than many of us might think.
Here are just a few examples:
Choose to walk or cycle - Whenever you can, because foot and pedal power reduces your carbon footprint!
Buy local - Choose local produce, eat more seasonal vegetables, and reduce your food miles to shrink your environmental footprint.
Waste less! - Every time you buy something you don’t really need, or throw something away rather than recycling it, you are wasting the energy that went into making that item.
Save your energy - Using gas and electricity from non-renewable sources creates huge amounts of carbon so save energy whenever you can. Switch appliances off rather than put then on standby, use energy saving lightbulbs and turn off lights when you leave a room – you’ll save money too!
How am I putting carbon into the atmosphere and why does it matter?
Whilst we don’t mean to, many aspects of our day-to-day lives increase the levels of Carbon and other pollutants going into the atmosphere. Driving cars, heating our homes and businesses, buying local produce, or even not recycling things and just throwing them away, all increase the amount of Carbon our lifestyles create.
This matters because Carbon and other global warming nasties being released into the atmosphere cause climate change, and that is the biggest challenge facing our planet today. When increased levels of Carbon are released into the air, they trap heat, and have a warming effect on the planet, which in turn can impact natural habitats and can threaten wildlife. This heating of the planet is also causing extreme weather events, rising sea levels that cause flooding and droughts that can lead to famine. So, Oh Yes! reducing our carbon footprint really matters.
Sounds good, but what exactly is “net zero”?
Essentially, we will reach net zero when the amount of Carbon Dioxide we put into the atmosphere is less than the environment takes out. At the moment, far too much carbon is going into the atmosphere from every person, business and country in the world.
So, in practice, aiming for net zero means everyone of us finding as many ways as possible to reduce our carbon footprint, the amount that comes from what we do in our everyday lives. Even if the changes we make are small, when we all do it together, it adds up to a lot, and will take us on the path to net zero.
Together we will make this happen!
- https://www.zerocarbonhumber.co.uk/ (accessed 24 December 2021)
- https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/climate.neutral.cities_e.pdf (accessed 24 December 2021)
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/996056/2005-19-local-authority-co2-emissions-statistical-release.pdf (accessed 24 December 2021)
- The UK’s industrial cluster comprises six regions (the Humber, South Wales, Grangemouth, Teesside, Merseyside and Southampton). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803086/industrial-clusters-mission-infographic-2019.pdf (accessed 24 December 2021)
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/net-zero-carbon-uk-industry/ (accessed 24 December 2021)
- https://www.humberlep.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Humber-LEP-Energy-Strategy-1.pdf (accessed 24 December 2021