Manchester Green Summit: ‘We want to be the UK’s leading green city-region’

Radically reducing carbon emissions by a million tonnes over three years and overhauling public transport across all 10 boroughs are key parts of the city-region’s Levelling Up Deal, submitted to the Government.

Mr Burnham called on more than 1,000 delegates attending the fourth Greater Manchester Green Summit on Monday to support the plan to remove one million tonnes of carbon emissions from the local economy and reach the city-region’s target to be net-zero carbon by 2038, 12 years ahead of the national target.

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

But he claims it will require the Government to act now, in next week’s Spending Review, if national climate goals are to be met.

This year’s Summit took place ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) which is scheduled for the end of the month in Glasgow.

Mr Burnham has restated the case for a London-style public transport system making transport affordable and accessible, with hundreds of kilometres of new cycle lanes, 50km of new bus lanes, and with 30-50% of the city-region’s buses switched to electric within four years.