"The world is facing a climate emergency and we all need to act to prevent irreversible damage and to leave a better world for our children.", says the header of a new website launched by the city council as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the perils of climate change. The council has also ditched the usual 'Magenta' from it's branding and has gone green on X (Formerly Twitter) and Facebook. The council says that there is already a lot happening to help with reductions in the city's carbon footprint, with solar car ports, zero emission buses and e-scooters which seemingly can be found strewn across almost every pavement in Salford. The city has come a long way since the 'Smokey Town' image of the early 1900's. Gone are the huge smoke and pollution belching chimney stacks, much beloved of Fred Dibnah (Although for all he loved them he sure did demolish enough?). The city has some of the best recycling rates in Greater Manchester and many council owned buildings have recently been kitted out with solar panels to reduce both costs to the council coffers as well as carbon being pumped into the atmosphere. All in all Salford is a much cleaner and greener place to live. We have a solar farm on the outskirts of Little Hulton and much has been done to improve the energy efficiency of social housing throughout the city. With 3,774 solar panels, it will generate 2.1 megawatt hours of clean electricity per year and will reduce Salford’s carbon emissions by 720 tonnes each year, as well as saving the council money on buying energy. Not quite enough to power my DeLorean but a considerable amount none the less. We are even host to Europe's largest 'Green Wall' which adorns the outside of a 12 storey tower block at New Bailey on the border with Manchester. The wall provides real environmental benefits by removing toxins from the atmosphere, creating a significant increase in bio-diversity, providing habitat for birds, butterflies and pollinators, and also improves the thermal performance of the building. It’s net zero carbon in operation and features enhanced, demand-controlled ventilation with CO2 monitoring, and is fossil fuel free with air source heat pumps generating heating, cooling and hot water. Our local University of Salford is at the forefront of pioneering research on home efficiency with its Energy House 2.0 project. Led by The University of Salford, in partnership with Bellway, Saint-Gobain and Barratt Developments, The Energy House 2.0 is researching and testing, in tightly controlled conditions, new ways of powering, heating and insulating homes, making them more energy efficient and helping to meet new standards which require a significant reduction in carbon emissions for new-build homes from 2025. You have noticed the changes, they are hard to miss. It is hard not to notice the effects of global warming and it has already started to impact on our City, as anyone whose home was damaged during the horrific Boxing Day Floods in Kersal back in 2015. Since then we have seen the Irwell close to tipping point on a number of occasions but thankfully we now have a much more robust flood protection system in place in those affected areas, flood basins which have a dual role as havens for local wildlife and waterfowl. They are also mighty pretty too which is always a bonus. More recently we saw widespread flooding as torrential downpours came out of the blue, causing roads to turn into rivers and water to pour into homes. Eccles was hit particularly badly with roads closed and the junction of the M60 underwater. (Main Photo) Whilst some parts of the country burn, others suffer unseasonable levels of cloud and rain and if forecasts are correct, we can only look forward to these extreme weather incidents becoming more common place in the future. So with this in mind, the council has set itself the task of becoming Carbon Neutral by the year 2038, which means that the city would be producing the same amount of carbon that is removed. A lofty goal, but one which is achievable. There is a lot to do if the city is to hit those targets but a lot of work has already taken place. The new website is full of information educating residents about climate change and encouraging sustainable practices in their daily lives., from recycling waste to cooking healthier and less environmental damaging food. It has useful and helpful tips on reducing our carbon footprints as well as clearly explaining why we need to do so. Our planet can only take so much and the tipping point is ever moving closer. We need to act now to secure a cleaner environment for ourselves and future Salford residents to continue to live and thrive in. Photos: GreenerSalford.Info / Salford City Council
