The devil really is in the detail.  Comparing the City Council’s Annual Carbon Reduction Plans of 2012/3 and 2013/4 is a thankless task. It’s also a job the Council’s officers – for some reason I can’t possibly fathom – have made more difficult than it needs to be.  The humour that you get from it is very bleak too, since it is a record of slippage and failure and more slippage on our species’ path to oblivion. Take this from the 2012/3 plan, about Manchester Art Gallery (1) –

5.10.11 Work is now also starting to be conducted at Directorate level, and Directorate’s support is needed to continue to reduce emissions; each Directorate is now reporting regularly to the Environmental Strategy Programme Board (ESPB) on progress within their estate and actions contained in their low carbon services plans. An example of a critical action delivered by a Directorate can be seen through the LED installation programme at Manchester Art Gallery.(Emphasis added)

The (2012/3) plan was;

5.2.4.7 Galleries/museums (6% of building emissions)
Manchester Art Gallery will complete its roll-out of LED lighting in the remaining 18 of its 20 galleries by October 2012, which will save 116 tonnes CO2 and £23,000 this year.

And what ends up being achieved, by July 2013?  Well, you have to search hard, but then you find this in the 2013/4 plan;

4.23 “Galleries and Museums (5% of building emissions)
Manchester Art Gallery will continue their energy management trials and research to reduce consumption in the building, and will install a new revolving door to allow better control of conditions. LEDs will be installed in the final six galleries.”

So, there were 18 galleries still without LEDs when the last plan was written. All were going to be completed by October 2012.  Except, by July 2013, a third were still without LEDs!  If the Council can’t even get small things like that right, what about the biggies, like grappling with the horror that is its Airport and prosperity model built on ever more consumption and travel?

Footnote
(1) The last time I was in Manchester Art Gallery was September 2008.  I had phoned up the Environmental Strategy Team (or “Green City Team” as it was then known) saying Manchester Climate Fortnightly was about to run a story called “The Missing Million” – about how the Council didn’t seem to be spending the Carbon Reduction Fund money.  Sharp intake of breath down the other end of a phone and a plea to meet asap.  I met with two officers.  I was told all sorts of wonderful stories about how they were about to announce a whole host of “future-proof” investments yadder yadder yadder.

I wanted to run a “let’s believe it when we see it” story, but my co-editors at the time said “let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.”  Sadly, I was right – the meeting had been a classic – as I now know it to be – delay and diversion tactic. Or “lie,” to give it its common-and-garden name.   One of the two officers is definitely still around.  Oddly less keen to meet these days, now that I know what I am doing and can’t be so easily fobbed off…