Local councils crucial to fighting climate change
Action by local authorities is crucial to the UK's efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions, Climate Change Minister Phil Woolas said today, as statistics on local and regional emissions for 2005 were published
The statistics underline the vital role local authorities can play in fighting climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, both through their own actions and by setting an example to the wider community.
Phil Woolas said: "As estate managers, service providers and community leaders, local authorities are at the forefront of the fight to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. They have the power to make a huge difference throughout the country and these statistics are an increasingly valuable resource to help them assess how they can cut emissions.
"As well as taking action to reduce emissions themselves, local authorities have a vital role to play in challenging and informing their residents to drive down emissions across the area they serve. In recognition of this, action on climate change will be included in part of the performance framework used to assess local government performance for the first time from April next year."
The statistics assign emissions to end users. For example, the emissions created by a power plant are assigned to the users of the electricity rather than to the plant itself.
The statistics showed that in 2005:
* In the North West, 44 per cent of emissions were attributed to industrial, commercial and public sector sources, 28 per cent were attributed to the domestic sector and 28 per cent to road transport.
* Carbon dioxide emissions attributed to industrial, commercial and public sector sources equated to four tonnes per person for every North West resident.
* Emissions from the domestic and transport sector combined equated to five tonnes per person for every North West resident.
* Nationally, 45 per cent of emissions were attributed to the industrial, commercial and public sector sources, 27 per cent to the domestic sector, and 28 per cent to road transport.
Local authorities are increasingly taking up the challenge to reduce emissions and more than 270 local authorities have now signed up to the Nottingham Declaration, a voluntary pledge to address climate change that any council can make to its own community. Many local authorities are also doing excellent work to reduce emissions in areas like promoting renewable energy and improving energy efficiency in public and private buildings.
This is the third year that these statistics have been produced, and the quality of the estimates has improved since the first results, for 2003. They are still experimental statistics but are suitable to inform the development of emissions reductions initiatives. Work is progressing to publish the 2006 data as a national statistic next year.
