Bournemouth Can Become Most Sustainable City In The UK, Says New Report

A new economic report published today has revealed Bournemouth’s huge potential for becoming the UK’s most environmentally sustainable city.

According to UK Powerhouse, a report by Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economic & Business Research (Cebr), Bournemouth will not only be in the top 10 for economic growth (GVA*) during Q1 2021, it has topped the list for the lowest CO2 per person.

The report says Bournemouth’s low emissions can be partly attributed to the city’s environmental strategy, which encourages the use of renewable energy and improved energy efficiency in new buildings as well reducing carbon emissions by promoting greener travel.

Since 2011, Bournemouth has decreased its carbon emissions per capita at an average rate of 4.9%.

Although Bournemouth had the lowest per capita carbon emission in 2017, it performed relatively poorly on the list for environmentally friendly commuters. 

In Bournemouth, only 3% of the population use low emission transport** to get to work, whereas the share of those who use zero-emission transport*** is slightly higher at 5% but still far behind the top performing cities. 

Out of all the English Powerhouse cities in the report, Bournemouth is ranked 3rd for waste recycling.

It concludes that if Bournemouth can improve their share of low and zero-emission transport, carbon emissions can decrease even further making it possible for Bournemouth to become one of the most sustainable cities in the UK. 

Expert Opinion

“In June, the UK has announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the first major economy to do so. The ever-more urgent topic of climate change and sustainability has reached the highest level of government and it’s important that business recognise not only the important role they have to play, but also the opportunities that exist.

“In the case of Bournemouth, it performs well in some indicators of environmental sustainability but poorly in others. If it can improve its share of low-and zero-emission transport, carbon emissions can decrease even further making it possible for Bournemouth to become the most sustainable city in the UK.”
Victoria Brackett - Group Chief Commercial Officer

Methodology Note

All forecasts in this report utilise Cebr’s central scenario. Cebr’s central forecasts are based on the assumption that an amended version of the Brexit withdrawal agreement will form the basis of the future UK – EU relationship. We further assume that a transitional arrangement will be put in place that allows a continuation of the current relationship without any major disruptions until at least 2021. On the immigration policy, we rely on the lower immigration population estimates assuming that a visa system will be implemented for EU nationals, but that the requirements (e.g. the minimum salary, the NHS surcharge payment, the application fees, etc.) would be more relaxed than they currently are for non-EU nationals requiring a visa.


*Gross value added
**Low emission transport include travels by bus/coach, national rail and underground.
***Zero emission transport includes travel by walking or cycling.