Rhondda Cynon Taf

How the warming stripes work

Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole. Shades of blue indicate cooler-than-average years, while red shows years that were hotter than average. The stark band of deep red stripes on the right-hand side of the graphic show the rapid heating in recent decades.

Climate emergency declared

Not declared yet

Local net-zero target date

2030

Climate Action Plan published

Not published yet

Climate Action Plan scope

Plan covers council operations only

What can we do?

As we know, the climate crisis is already here. The good news is that most of the solutions exist today. What’s really needed is more people to join in locally to make a bigger difference together.

  View the Climate Action Plan

CO2 emissions

It's hard to visualise CO2 emissions. The data talks about 'tonnes of CO2' - but what does a tonne of gas look like? Well, imagine a typical large hot air balloon (almost 3,000 cubic metres in volume). One tonne of CO2 would fill one of these hot air balloons.

Additional local carbon emissions

Carbon emissions embedded in the imported goods we consume locally are typically not counted. However, these goods are produced and then transported here because of our consumer demands. Imported emissions are so big they should not be hidden*.

* Note: Imported emissions are estimated based on the Total UK Goods & Services Greenhouse Gases imported emissions (Defra UK's Carbon Footprint 2016: 353mt CO2 eq) pro-rated based on Local Authority population size and assumed equal per capita consumption of imported goods and services across all Local Authorities.

CO2 emissions in total

883,879 tonnes

People in the local area

241,873

CO2 per person per year

3.7 tonnes

Additional local carbon emissions

1,280,725 tonnes

Source: BEIS Local Authority territorial CO2 emissions within the scope of influence of Local Authorities (2020).

Local carbon emissions by sector

In getting to net zero as quickly as possible, we need to look at how we do things differently in every sector.

(000t)

2018
2019
2020

High-impact, low-carbon initiatives

Total published on Carbon Copy across the UK: 1046 See all Initiatives

There are some amazing collaborations between local councils, communities and companies. Some examples in/around Rhondda Cynon Taf:

Egin

Supporting communities in Wales to tackle climate change.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Carbon emissions
  • Food security & supply
  • Circular Economy
  • Energy

Generation, Supply, Consumption, Storage (GSCS) Project

Providing innovative and cost-effective renewable energy solutions to business communities.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Carbon emissions
  • Excessive consumption
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Energy
  • Built Environment

GSCS Project

Providing innovative and cost-effective renewable energy solutions to business communities.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Carbon emissions
  • Excessive consumption
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Energy
  • Built Environment

Little Lounge Community Pantry

Reducing food waste and redistributing surplus food into the community.

Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Food security & supply
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Waste
  • Circular Economy
  • Biodiversity & Nature
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture

Pontypridd Green Week

Inspiring the community to take action to tackle climate change.

Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Carbon emissions
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Waste
  • Circular Economy
  • Biodiversity & Nature

Valleys Regional Park Guardians

Delivering nature-based activities across the South Wales Valleys and supporting green spaces upkeep

Blaenau Gwent
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Food security & supply
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Biodiversity & Nature
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture

Cardiff Cycle Workshop

Enabling more people to cycle through the provision of education, recycled bikes and repairs.

Caerphilly
  • Air pollution
  • Carbon emissions
  • Waste
  • Transport
  • Circular Economy

WeCare: We Educate Communities and Regenerate Environments

Transforming neglected green spaces into a new green community asset everyone can benefit from.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Biodiversity & Nature

Cynon Valley Organic Adventures

Helping people improve wellbeing through a deeper connection to the environment.

Caerphilly
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Flooding & drought
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Biodiversity & Nature
  • Circular Economy
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture

Tip Shops South Wales

Rescuing reusable items from being thrown into skips and make them available to people in need.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Carbon emissions
  • Excessive consumption
  • Waste
  • Circular Economy

StorTera

Demonstrating a cost-effective smart grid for business parks with energy storage and smart controls.

Blaenau Gwent
  • Carbon emissions
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Energy
  • Finance

The Green Valleys (Wales) CIC

Inspiring and supporting communities to sustainably generate low-carbon energy.

Monmouthshire
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Carbon emissions
  • Energy
  • Biodiversity & Nature
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture

Digital Bench

Inventing a solar-powered digital bench for community use in Pontypridd.

Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Carbon emissions
  • Food security & supply
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Energy
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture

Welcome To Our Woods

Running forests as a community organisation for the benefit of all.

Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Air pollution
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Health & wellbeing
  • Land Use, Food & Agriculture
  • Biodiversity & Nature