Bristol

United Kingdom

Mission city Pilot city
United Kingdom National Platform
Bristol Mission City Label
Population 490k
City Area 110 km²
City active since June 2022

Bristol is the largest city in the South West of England with a population of 479,200 in mid-2022.

 

Bristol was one of the fastest growing cities in the UK over the last decade and it is forecast to grow to around 550,000 by 2040. Bristol is home to a wealth of cultures and creative ideas and the city continues to build on its strengths as a place welcoming to all, including as a City of Sanctuary. The population of Bristol is increasingly diverse with at least 45 religions, 185 countries of birth, 287 different ethnic groups and 90 main languages. Bristol aims to be a city of ambition and compassion, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and succeed. But there are many challenges to tackle, especially with the national cost of living crisis and the continuing inequalities still faced by many Bristolians. Over 70,000 people in the city live in the top ten per cent most deprived areas in England and Bristol has some of the lowest rates of people going to university despite having two world class universities.

Key Learnings

SONNET – The Bristol City Lab

In its SONNET City Lab, Bristol City Council searched for ways to make use of crowdfunding - specifically a Community Municipal Bond (CMB) mechanism - as an investment activity to collectively raise capital to install energy efficiency measures in local community buildings. The Bristol municipality, working with the Bristol Energy Network, engaged building managers and technically surveyed the buildings to assess the value of the energy efficiency works that needed to be undertaken, resulting in 12 energy audits. They then surveyed participants across Bristol and building managers of the community buildings about their opinion of such an initiative. The survey was completed by 170 participants (124 online and 46 in person).

Bristol City Leap

This video case study from the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom describes the innovative finance mechanism called Bristol City Leap. Bristol City Leap is a twenty year partnership between Bristol City Council and Ameresco UK which will accelerate green energy investment in Bristol and help towards decarbonising the whole city.

Building a System for Innovative Climate Finance in Bristol

Bristol is moving beyond traditional public funding and aims to be a catalyst for relevant investment by building the institutional infrastructure and capabilities to direct capital toward climate action. Central to these efforts is the Net Zero Investment Co-Innovation Lab: a space for testing new financing mechanisms, reshaping internal governance, and forming partnerships that can unlock systemic investment. The Lab designed and launched three new financial products: a Community Climate Investment Scheme, the Green Growth West Fund, and the Carbon Multiplier Fund, alongside building capacity and alignment across council teams and beyond.

Bristol net zero by 2030: The evidence base

Author: Centre for Sustainable Energy Simon Roberts, CSE; Joshua Thumim (CSE); Tom Nokes and Nikki Webb (Ricardo); Ann Ballinger and Amy Nicholass (Eunomia) Category: City Net Zero Policy Published/Created by: Centre for Sustainable Energy with Ricardo and Eunomia Link: https://vdocuments.site/bristol-net-zero-by-2030-the-evidence-base-bristol-net-zero-by-2030-evidence-base.html?page=1 This is a report prepared for the Bristol City Council on how the city can achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030. This study, commissioned by Bristol City Council, had three broad aims:  To describe the changes which need to happen in Bristol to reach net zero greenhouse gases (scopes 1 & 2) by 2030. To identify the conditions for success which will need to be in place by (or before) 2030 for these changes to prove possible. To propose near-term actions and initiatives which will be needed to create these conditions.
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Latest updates from the city

Pilot project spotlight
Visit Bristol City Website Lille City Profile (Twin City) Penteli City Profile (Twin City) Waterford City Profile (Twin City)

External projects

City involvement in related European initiatives