Cardiff has been named the third greenest city in the UK

Cardiff has been named the third greenest city in the UK, according to a recent university study.

The study, completed by the University of Southhampton, analysed 25 UK cities by population size and incorporated six categories of environmental data to assess how green a city was.

The six categories used were: green space, pollution, waste and recycling, motor vehicles, commuter travel, and energy use and production.

Cardiff ranked third behind Sheffield and Edinburgh in first and second place but beat Brighton, which came in at fourth place.

The Green Cities report was commissioned by NatWest bank as a strategy to support consumers consider their carbon footprints.

Cardiff City Council is planning on continuing to become more environmentally friendly by cutting carbon emissions across the city to net-zero by 2030.

However, this plan has been criticised as the council plans to reopen Castle Street to private traffic soon which would increase emissions in the city centre.

Professor William Powrie from the University of Southampton, the lead expert behind NatWest’s Green Cities report, said: “Extreme weather events of the past year together with the focus on sustainability ahead of Cop26 have brought home the need for changes in the way we live if we are to mitigate the effects of the twin environmental catastrophes of climate change and loss of biodiversity.

“We have run out of time and the changes need to be made now. The key message from NatWest’s Green Cities Report is that we can and must all contribute to making our towns and cities as green as possible, so it could not have come at a more appropriate moment.

“The list will enable cities and people to reflect on their progress towards behaving sustainably. Simple changes can make a big difference — walking, cycling or using public transport rather than going by car, using less and recycling more — but we all need to get involved.”

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