NEWS RELEASE
Date: 20 November 2007
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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:
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.
Notes to editors
1. The statistics aim to produce the most reliable and consistent breakdown of carbon dioxide emissions across the country, using nationally-available data. The full statistics are available at www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/071120a.htm
2. Where possible, estimates are based on real local data such as electricity and gas consumption, and emissions from sites where pollution is regulated. Emissions from power stations are reallocated to where the electricity is actually consumed by householders and businesses, and a second set of figures reallocates emissions from the rest of the energy production sector to users for the first time this year.
3. Under the terms of the National Statistics Code of Practice, these results are classified as ‘Experimental Statistics’ rather than full National Statistics because although they are useful if used with caution, it is known that there are some important limitations on data quality which need to be taken into account. These are fully described in the main statistical report.
4. The Nottingham Declaration Action Pack can be found at http://www.est.org.uk/housingbuildings/localauthorities/NottinghamDeclaration/online_action_pack/
5. The Energy Saving Trust’s advice for local authorities can be found at http://www.est.org.uk/housingbuildings/localauthorities/information/toptips/
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Page published: 20 November 2007