Getting beyond the climate wishlists: the struggle to turn carbon pledges into action Councils face an uphill struggle to turn their carbon reduction pledges into meaningful action. The post-Covid recovery needs to be green if local and national commitments to tackle climate change are to be met. The scale of the challenge is significant; it took the UK 26 years to cut emissions by 40% from 1990 levels. A further 40% must now be cut in a decade, but much of the cheaper and less disruptive low-hanging fruit has already been picked. So far councils have lacked the direction and tools they need from the centre to take the necessary measures to honour the climate emergency pledges they have made, particularly regarding retrofitting buildings and decarbonising energy systems on an area-wide scale. Work to improve energy efficiency has been hampered by the demise of a flagship government programme. The £1.5bn green homes grant voucher scheme was scrapped six months after its launch despite significant public interest, with 41,613 applications in its final month, March 2021. The government said the grants would help refit 600,000 homes – but only 95,748 households are to benefit. It is speculated a replacement green homes grant will emerge in this year’s spending review.