Green councillors condemn Shrewsbury North West Relief Road carbon increase

Green Party councillors have condemned Shropshire Council’s announcement that the carbon emissions from the controversial Shrewsbury North West Relief Road are set to double, accusing the administration of risking the futures of Shropshire children.

The powerful words come after Shropshire Council revealed new carbon assessment figures for the NWRR. The new figures – which show that the amount of carbon to be offset has jumped from 26,711 to 55,904 tonnes – mean the council will no longer be able to achieve its pledge to be net zero by 2030. The Northern Planning Committee is due to consider the new assessment on Tuesday 21 January.

Oswestry South councillor Duncan Kerr says:

"California is on fire. 2024 was just announced as the hottest year on record. And a new report from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) – one of the most conservative bodies imaginable – warns that the impact of climate breakdown could cause 4 billion deaths by 2050. Yet here in Shropshire our Conservative council is happy to burn, baby, burn and rip up the Climate Emergency Declaration it made in 2019. This is unforgivable.

"Every tonne of carbon we emit increases the risk that our children will inherit a broken planet. Can Conservative councillors look Shropshire parents in the eye and tell them they have their children’s best interests at heart?"

Shropshire Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, becoming one of the first councils in the UK to make the pledge to tackle the accelerating emergency. In December 2020 the council committed to being net zero by 2030, requiring emissions reductions of 10% per year.

However, the new carbon figures mean that the council’s 2030 target will be ‘impossible’ to achieve according to planning officer Mike Davies.

On Thursday a chilling report from risk experts the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and the University of Exeter warned that accelerating emissions pose a risk to global economic wellbeing from fires, flooding, droughts, temperature rises and nature breakdown. They have predicted a worst case scenario in which global economies would see a 50% hit to GDP.

Councillor Kerr says, "Shropshire Council has spent the last five years calling itself “a climate leader”, but now they might as well rip up their Climate Emergency Declaration. At COP29 last November the Prime Minister warned that warming above 1.5 degrees will “expose hundreds of thousands more people in the UK to flood risk… greater economic instability… And national insecurity.” This is what Shropshire Tories are baking into the relief road. More flooding for Shropshire residents. Less money for our public services. And the threat of war and international tensions as climate breakdown bites. You might say “What about China?” or “These emissions are tiny”. But climate scientists will tell you that every tonne of carbon we emit matters."

Shropshire Council has said it plans to offset the road’s emissions and is asking for a 500% increase in funding for ‘mitigating’ the pollution at a cost of £8.4m. However, there are currently no plans for mitigation and a blueprint won’t be released until 2030, after the NWRR is completed. Talk of offsetting has raised further concerns about whether this will be done locally or at a regional or local level.

Councillor Julian Dean (Porthill, Shrewsbury) said: "Offsetting commitments won’t be worth the carbon in the paper they are written on. Shropshire should already be doing more tree planting and other natural “carbon capture” measures – which are also good for nature.

"Now the council says it will need to find huge new sources for offsetting, which inevitably means corners will be cut and dodgy schemes will be bought into. Shropshire Greens believe there is a much better way to cut this deadly carbon: don’t build the road, and invest in walking, cycling, and clean public transport solutions instead."