Our Strategy

Zcop brand assets
Zcop brand assets

Zero Carbon strategy, targets and roadmaps

As our partnership has expanded from a city-wide initiative to a county-level effort, a new county plan is currently being developed, with a new action plan for the county partnership set to be created in 2025 in collaboration with our partners. Below, you can explore the existing Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership (ZCOP) Roadmap for Oxford and the ‘Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire’ report for the county.

Recognising the urgency of the Climate Emergency, Oxford aims to lead proactively. Collaborating with Oxford City Council and the Carbon Trust, the Partnership developed a roadmap and action plan, engaging key sectors for a comprehensive approach. Partner collaboration, data contribution, and scenario validation were integral to the process, ensuring a well-informed and ambitious strategy. Sector-themed workshops further enriched the action plan with collaborative ideation. 

We are working to make information about our roadmap and action plan as accessible as possible. To discuss your accessibility needs, please contact us at [email protected]

City progress

In 2021, ZCOP set a science-based pathway to achieve net zero by 2040, with five-yearly carbon budgets and a partner-led action plan outlining key collaborative actions to be driven forward in Sprint Groups. The Roadmap and Action Plan break down the net zero vision into tangible steps, focusing on five-year periods by sector, with buildings and transport as the city's biggest contributors, and the action plan highlights key activities for 2024/25. Click below to find out more about the Roadmap and Action Plan.
Open ZCOP Roadmap Report

County Perspective

The Oxfordshire Net Zero Routemap and Action Plan (ONZRMAP) is the guiding document for decarbonisation efforts at a county level, outlining a pathway to achieve net zero by 2050 with intermediate emissions reduction milestones in 2025, 2030, and 2040. Published by the Future Oxfordshire Partnership in 2023, ONZRMAP is based on the 'Oxfordshire Leading the Way' scenario from the Pathways to a Zero Oxfordshire (PaZCO) report by the University of Oxford in 2021. Click below to find out more about the county report.
Open PAZCO report

Recognising the urgency of the Climate Emergency, Oxford aims to lead proactively. Collaborating with Oxford City Council and the Carbon Trust, the Partnership developed a roadmap and action plan, engaging key sectors for a comprehensive approach. Partner collaboration, data contribution, and scenario validation were integral to the process, ensuring a well-informed and ambitious strategy. Sector-themed workshops further enriched the action plan with collaborative ideation. 

We are working to make information about our roadmap and action plan as accessible as possible. To discuss your accessibility needs, please contact us at [email protected]

Next steps

The roadmaps offer specific milestones, acknowledging the need for flexibility due to evolving factors in decarbonisation.

Emphasising a ‘level of effort’ approach for net zero requirements allows adaptability to changing circumstances. Focusing on nearer-term periods (up to 2025 and 2030) prioritizes practical progress over a rigid path. Periodic reviews (at least every 5 years) support adjustments based on evolving conditions, ensuring progress towards the 2050 net zero target. 

Achieving the ambitious net zero target depends on increased national-level support. ZCOP will coordinate joint lobbying and funding applications to secure necessary assistance and address the current policy deficit. 

Certain actions require broader collaboration beyond current partners. All Oxfordshire communities, organisations, and businesses are encouraged to commit to emission reduction and explore collaborative opportunities for achieving net zero.

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