London ranked UK's greenest city

The ‘emissions’ criteria analysed levels of air pollution, with the lower the figure the lower the level of pollution. This data was sourced by IQAir.

“From planting trees and setting up communal composting areas to installing solar panels and purchasing electric vehicles, our communities are addressing environmental problems in their local areas”

Finally, the ‘sustainability’ criteria focused on investment into solar energy, judged by the investment per million pounds of council budget. Investment includes any expenditure on construction or maintenance of any new or existing solar energy projects.

All information for investment, energy produced, and number of PV fitted buildings was received by FOI request to city/borough councils carried out by thesolarcentre.

In addition to the four main criteria, attention was paid to household recycling efforts: the percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling, or composting for each city. This data was sourced from Waste Data Flow.

“While this research highlights that local authorities are working hard to fulfil their commitments around moving towards net zero, we also note that individuals and communities are taking critical steps towards carbon zero,” said Simon Peat, CEO of Project Solar UK.

“From planting trees and setting up communal composting areas to installing solar panels and purchasing electric vehicles, our communities are addressing environmental problems in their local areas. Together their proactive moves, such as choosing renewable energy sources and tackling waste, alongside those of local authorities, all help in addressing the climate emergency.”