SCOTLAND'S two biggest cities have been included in a top 10 list of the UK's most eco-friendly cities.
The list has been described as the most comprehensive study of its type to date and ranked cities based on scores from six overall categories.
Edinburgh managed to take second place on the list while COP26 host city Glasgow was ranked as the UK's seventh most eco-friendly city.
Edinburgh was commended for its green space with the equivalent of 233 square metres of green space per person, one of the lowest numbers of car commuters and a high percentage of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs).
Once a steel-making powerhouse and famous for its cutlery, Sheffield managed to gain the top spot on the list with all the metrics taken into account. It now has a high volume of renewable energy production (71MHh/1000 people annually) and around 155 square metres per person of green space.
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London just missed out on the top 10, coming in at eleventh on the list but the study pointed out that it has a high proportion of ULEVs due in part to the residents getting ready for London's ultra-low emission zone that was introduced this week.
The study - commissioned by NatWest to mark the integration of carbon footprint tracking to their personal banking app - analysed the UK's 25 biggest cities by population with 17 criteria considered and weighted with the cities ranked based on their scores of six overall categories: green space, energy use/production, motor vehicles, waste and recycling, commuting travel and pollution.
Wolverhampton ranked bottom of the list overall, with the equivalent of only 25m2 of green space person, high car ownership and high numbers of people commuting by car. They also had a low percentage of ULEZ vehicles.
Professor William Powrie from the University of Southampton, the lead expert behind the Green Cities report, said: “Extreme weather events of the past year together with the focus on sustainability ahead of COP26 have brought home the need for changes in the way we live if we are to mitigate the effects of the twin environmental catastrophes of climate change and loss of biodiversity.
"We have run out of time and the changes need to be made now.
"The key message from NatWest’s Green Cities Report is that we can and must all contribute to making our towns and cities as green as possible, so it could not have come at a more appropriate moment.
"The list will enable cities and people to reflect on their progress towards behaving sustainably. Simple changes can make a big difference - walking, cycling or using public transport rather than going by car, using less and recycling more; but we all need to get involved.”
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The carbon footprint tracking feature is being integrated into NatWest’s personal banking app in the coming weeks, in line with COP26, of which NatWest is a principle banking partner.
The Report and introduction of carbon tracking are part of the bank’s strategic focus on helping cities, communities and individuals understand their own carbon impact, and support them with practical and meaningful ways to make their spending greener.
The full list of the UK's greenest cities ranks as follows:
- Sheffield
- Edinburgh
- Cardiff
- Brighton & Hove
- Bristol
- Leeds
- Glasgow
- Nottingham
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Belfast
- London
- Salford
- Manchester
- Derby
- Wakefield
- Liverpool
- Plymouth
- Bradford
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Birmingham
- Hull
- Leicester
- Coventry
- Sunderland
- Wolverhampton
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