Reaching net zero

Sustainable urban planning and development is key for governments and local authorities in the UK and beyond to deliver on their net zero targets. Improving land-use planning and land management practices to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions is one of the core challenges that UKCEH’s science aims to address. Our scientists’ research expands beyond greenhouse gases to cover net zero nutrients, including phosphorus.

Key capabilities:

• Monitoring GHG emissions

• Solutions to recycle phosphorus in cities

CAPABILITY:

Monitoring GHG emissions

A city’s journey towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions starts with accurate data to understand the sources of emissions in the urban area and to create a mitigation plan. UKCEH scientists have installed flux towers to capture precise data on gas fluxes in urban environments. Initially used to monitor levels of carbon dioxide and methane, our scientists have enhanced this method to track other gases including carbon monoxide, ethane and nitrous oxide, and have the scope to track other gases, such as nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. The data collected by UKCEH is openly available via the European Fluxes Database, and informs national and international GHG emissions inventories.

CASE STUDY:

Using the London BT Tower as an urban atmospheric pollution observatory

UKCEH began using the BT tower as a tall tower measurement platform in early 2006. The 190m-tall BT tower is in central London, making it an excellent platform for pollution monitoring at the heart of one of Europe's largest cities. The site has been in continuous use since 2011, and UKCEH records of urban CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes are among the longest in the world.

In addition to greenhouse gases, UKCEH played a pivotal role in implementing measurements and calculations of fluxes of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by eddy-covariance at the BT Tower in collaboration with scientists from the National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS).

DATA:

Annual inventory of greenhouse gas emissions

Data on greenhouse gas emissions compiled by UKCEH contributes to the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) and is used to produce the annual inventory of greenhouse gas emissions published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The data is compiled by devolved administration and disaggregated to local authority area, providing information to local authorities and land managers on GHG pollution sources, levels, and trends. Our scientists have also been exploring ways to narrow down the data to city-level.

CAPABILITY:

Solutions to recycle phosphorus in cities

Population growth in cities leads to higher levels of waste production, which relies on highly effective sewage systems to process the waste. This creates significant challenges for resource management in urban environments, from safeguarding water quality to controlling food production. UKCEH scientists have researched ways to recycle phosphorus present in wasted organic matter to re-use as fertiliser. We can support policy development and enable local authorities to design sustainable phosphorus flows towards net zero targets.

CASE STUDY:

Towards net zero phosphorus cities

UKCEH contributed to the Our Phosphorus Future (OPF) project which called on the scientific community to highlight priorities and suggest solutions towards sustainable phosphorus use. The OPF '50:50:50' Goal calls for a 50% reduction in global phosphorus pollution and a 50% increase in the recycling of phosphorus lost in residues and wastes, by 2050.

Cities are nutrient hotspots. Better management of urban nutrient cycles represents a critical opportunity to improve nutrient sustainability and the transition to circular nutrient economies. The report outlines a broad range of solutions applicable to key industries and policy makers.

Read the Our Phosphorus Future (OPF) report