More than 4,000 tonnes of emissions savings reported in Aberdeenshire Council’s carbon budget
Aberdeenshire Council is set to save more than 4,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions for the 2025/26 financial year according to the latest carbon budget figures reported to its Sustainability Committee on 18 February 2026.
The council's carbon budget is measured carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and a carbon saving of 4,000 tCO2e has similar impact to growing around 160,000 trees for a year.
Councillor Sarah Dickinson, Chair of the council’s Sustainability Committee, said: “It’s encouraging to see our carbon footprint shrinking year on year through the hard work of teams across the council. It’s important to note that there are a lot of areas where the impact of that effort cannot yet be quantified, and the figures that are available do highlight the significant contribution of the UK’s electricity emissions factor.
“However, to continue to reduce emissions each year in line with the ambitious targets set into law by the Scottish Government, dedicated funding remains the largest hurdle in balancing a carbon budget while building a resilient and sustainable future for our communities.”
Projects that are making significant emissions savings from the carbon budget include—but are not limited to—the council’s LED street lighting programme, electric and hybrid vehicles being used among its fleet, and progress on its heating policy being widely implemented.
The heating policy ensures consistent temperatures within defined ranges across the council’s estate and is anticipated to save more than 1,300 tCO2e in a year—more than a quarter of the local authority’s total emissions savings for 2025/26.
Another major driver in the reported carbon savings is the UK’s Electricity CO2e factor that dropped around 15% from 2024 to 2025. The UK electricity factor varies annually based on the fuel mix in power stations, net imported electricity, fuel prices, demand peaks, and renewables use and this year saved the council around 1,800 tCO2e.
The total estimated emissions savings from interventions in the carbon budget has increased significantly to 4,019 tCO2e from the initial estimate of 1,806 tCO2e reported back February 2025.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Carbon Budget for 2025/26 was set at 37,690 tCO2e in line with a linear progression towards a 75% reduction in council-owned emissions by 2030.
Despite this significant increase in estimated savings and all the projects being implemented across the council, the local authority’s projected emissions for 2025/26 are estimated to reach 40,679 tCO2e due to the cumulative effect of previous years’ emissions.
To learn more about the emission interventions taking place at Aberdeenshire Council, visit its Climate View dashboard at aberdeenshire.gov.uk/climate-change
Aberdeenshire Council was the first local authority to publish and share its ClimateView dashboard publicly as part of the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service programme.
ClimateView dashboards help to provide a nationally consistent yet flexible approach to how local governments share knowledge, collaborate, and attract funding to deliver more efficient and effective climate interventions nationwide.