Between vision and implementation: the exclusionary disjuncture of domestic heat decarbonisation in Greater Manchester

Decarbonising heat is critical for achieving climate change targets and reducing CO2 emissions. The U.K. Government has outlined actions to support the decarbonisation of heat, emphasising the importance of a place-based approach and undertaking action at localised scales. This paper focuses on Greater Manchester, a city region in North West England, with a strategic vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2038. To support the achievement of this vision, Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs) have been developed for the city region’s 10 local authorities with this providing a useful case study for understanding the challenges of implementing localised, place-based domestic heat decarbonisation actions. Drawing upon 34 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders associated with Greater Manchester’s low-carbon agenda, this paper discusses the disjuncture between Greater Manchester’s vision for domestic heat decarbonisation and the implementation of the actions outlined. Three sites have been identified where the disjuncture between the strategic vision and its implementation materialises. Each of these sites of disjuncture – priorities and needs, procurement, and shifting heating expectations and practices – are discussed in turn. The disjuncture present is shown to exclude certain members of society from engaging in decarbonisation practices, and acts as a barrier to the achievement of Greater Manchester’s vision for domestic heat decarbonisation. This paper advances understandings on the barriers to achieving place-based decarbonisation visions, and furthers the conceptualisation of ‘just transitions’. The identification of sites of disjuncture can be applied to other strategic visions and their implementation.