Environmental action in Portsmouth

The 29th COP climate conference is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, running from 11-22 November 2024.

With the spotlight on climate, Portsmouth City Council is highlighting some of its ongoing work to build the city's resilience to climate change.

Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt has written this blog about climate change in Portsmouth, and Cllr Kimberly Barrett, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City, has recorded this video message:

The impacts of climate change include rising sea levels, more heat waves and intense rainfall. We are working with partners to make the city more climate resilient, and have been:

• Investing in Coastal defences - the ongoing coastal defence schemes for the north and south of Portsmouth will protect over 14,000 homes, 1,200 businesses and critical infrastructure from coastal flooding over the next 100 years. Some of the sea defences are built using recycled materials, and tide pools for marine life have been created and installed along the coast. Both schemes include many other environmental enhancements to increase biodiversity, create new habitats for native flora and fauna, and encourage more wildlife along the coast.
• Greening the city - the council is planting thousands of new trees this winter throughout the city, thanks to funding through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and Local Authority Treescape Fund. Species including hazel, oak and lime are being planted in school grounds, residential neighbourhoods, along streets and in parks, providing cooling in the places we live, study and enjoy being in. Increasing tree canopy cover not only cools us through shade and loss of water vapour, but also helps intercept rain, particularly important in slowing the rate at which rain hits the ground, so reducing flooding.

We are also working hard to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy in these ways:

• International Port green power - a major green project has begun to install a pioneering shore power system at Portsmouth International Port, enabling ships to plug into clean electric power while sitting at berth. The Sea Change project is thought to be the first in the UK that will allow multiple ships to plug into a system that provides multiple electrical frequencies at the same time.

• Switched On Portsmouth - a free service that supports residents with their energy bills, it supported 2,200 Portsmouth households in 2024, saving residents a lifetime total of over £100,000 through a national scheme to replace old household appliances. The team help people in care homes, libraries and other community spaces, and placed third in this year's National Energy Efficiency Awards for supporting people with more energy efficient homes and save money.

• Enhanced bus service- 62 new, zero-emission electric buses are operating in the city, thanks to a partnership with First Bus and Hampshire County Council. £48m of government funding has been secured by the council to deliver its Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan, in partnership with First Solent and Stagecoach South. It aims to transform city bus services, increase bus usage and make travelling easier and more convenient for all travellers.
• Electric Vehicles - Portsmouth is set to more than triple its on-street electric vehicle chargepoints, with up to 320 new chargepoints being installed in residential areas during 2025, thanks to government funding.

• Food waste service - the council has run a food waste collection service since 2019 and collected over 12,000 tonnes of food waste. This is all sent to a facility called an anaerobic digestor, where the food processed is turned into two useful by-products: digestate (which can be used as fertiliser) and biogas (which can be used as a source of fuel). Separating food waste from regular rubbish helps to recycle more and reduces the amount of waste that would otherwise be incinerated.

Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City, said: "We have a special natural environment here in Portsmouth, which is vital for people's health and wellbeing, and which we need to protect and enhance.

"So, I'm proud of the work we're doing with partners to increase biodiversity and the way in which we are using nature-based solutions, such as increasing tree canopy cover, to address issues such as overheating, flooding and pollution."

The Portsmouth Green Partnership is a made up of some of the city's biggest employers and organisations. During COP the council is hosting a partnership workshop to explore ways of working together to become a climate resilient, green and health city.

Residents can find out how they can become involved in green initiatives on the council's Climate Action website.

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