Greater Manchester outlines climate change plan at 'Green Summit'

The mayor of Greater Manchester will outline today how the city region will remove a million tonnes of carbon over three years.

The plan will be discussed at a Green summit in Salford.

It also includes a shift towards using electric buses and taxis.

Andy Burnham wants the region to become carbon neutral by 2038 - 12 years ahead of the national target.

He says the drive to net zero carbon can act as the catalyst to level up the city-region's transport, homes and jobs.

He is urging the Government to back the plan through approving a 'Levelling Up' deal for Greater Manchester in the forthcoming Spending Review.

He said: "The country is at a critical juncture on the journey to net zero. If we don't accelerate now, we run the risk of being unable to hit our national goal of 2050.

And we are in danger of welcoming the world to COP26 in Glasgow in a few weeks to discuss these crucial matters but presenting a response that is insufficient to the scale of the challenge.

"This is where Greater Manchester can help. We have a detailed, science-based plan for a levelled-up net zero city-region by 2038 - with better transport, homes and jobs for our residents.

And we are ready now to up the pace over the next five years through the Levelling Up Deal we have presented to Government.

 If they back us at the Spending Review next week, we will be the first UK city-region on an accelerated path and a template for others.

This will add real credibility to the UK Government's COP26 image to the world."

"As the only city-region that has taken the decision to put buses under public control, we are uniquely placed to speed up decarbonisation of transport.

We hope the Government will work with us to make the most of this opportunity."