Carbon emissions in North Somerset three times global average

5.29.03pm GMT Wed 1st Nov 2006

Dramatic new figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats show that North Somerset is doing better than the country as a whole in keeping down emissions of the gases that cause climate change, but is still emitting more than three times as much carbon dioxide as the global average.

As part of the Liberal Democrat campaign for a green tax switch - taxing pollution not people - Mike Bell, the Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Weston-super-Mare, has published figures showing the carbon emissions per head of population in the North Somerset district, and how this compares to the national and global averages.

Mike Bell said:

"With a population of 191,000, North Somerset is emitting 1.5 million tonnes of carbon each year on the latest official figures. This puts us at 7.9 tonnes of carbon per person per year, 14 per cent less than the UK average of 9.3 tonnes per person, but still far higher than the global average of around 2.5 tonnes per person.

"This is a creditable record, but we need to go further to get down to a sustainable level that will stop climate chaos, rising sea levels and weather instability.

"With the publication of Sir Nicholas Stern's report today confirming the scale of the global challenge, pressure is now growing for real action - locally, nationally and internationally - to tackle climate change.

"The good news is that the technology is already there to do so by shifting to low carbon cars, saving energy in the home, and cutting down oil and gas at work.

"Through simple things like turning down the thermostat, using energy saving light bulbs and not leaving appliances on standby, every resident of Weston can help to save the environment and cut our energy bills."