Transcript of Chester Zoo sets target to reach net zero by 2030

Chester Zoo is home to more than 500 species of animals, and each of them need a habitat that is heated at exactly the right temperature in order for them to thrive. To try and reduce its use of fossil fuels, the zoo has set itself an ambitious target to be net zero by 2030.

We have a really important role as a global conservation and education charity. We need to be setting a really good example. We know we can't be part of that problem that we're trying to solve, and that's why we know we need to be demonstrating how you can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels to address climate change.

At the Black Rhinos Enclosure, renewable energy is already in action. They replace their kerosine boilers with heat pumps, keeping the rhinos toasty warm, whatever the weather outside. Chris, you're going to show us the heart of the operation inside here, aren't you? Yeah. How it actually works.

So what we've got inside here is those six air-source heat pumps outside. They're all connected back to this thermal store, this buffer, and that's collecting the hot water that we're producing. And then that hot water is being pumped off into the rhino habitat, where that heat can then be delivered into where the rhinos are staying.

Looks It's not something you might see in a house, but like a supersize version.

Everything here is exactly the same as you would see in a normal house or any normal commercial building. It's just bigger.

But whilst the zoo is leading the way in sustainability, going greener and cleaner China isn't always straightforward for businesses, with some confused about what steps they actually need to take in order to be net zero by the government's target of 2050.

What we're now looking for is actually to set out the clear, consistent vision and implementation plan that goes behind that. So one of the things that we are seeing that business have wanted, which has been a little bit lacking the last couple of years, is actually that consistency. We've seen policy reversals, we've seen inconsistent rhetoric in terms of how Net Zero is spoken about, and what that has done is created an uncertain environment.

Since it opened in 1931, Chester Zoo has been committed to conservation. Now it's installing the latest technology to help protect some of the world's most fragile and endangered species, and hoping other businesses are inspired to do the same. Charlotte Lieming, Sky News, Chester Zoo.