Member Article

?Business as usual' not enough for climate change

A ‘business-as-usual’ approach to the environment will mean that the North East will fail to meet Government obligations under the Climate Change Act and international agreements, a new study has found.

The North East England Greenhouse Gas Emissions Baselines and Trajectories Study measured the contribution that the region is making to local, national and international targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases. It found that the biggest source of emissions in the North East is from the industrial sector, and that trajectories to 2050 show an increase in emissions in the North East, particularly from transport.

The study highlighted that existing regional policies and actions will not deliver the reductions required for the North East to meet UK emissions reduction targets.

Wyn Jones OBE, Chair of Sustaine, launched the study. He said: “By 2050 our emissions will be nearly 39 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and the obligation under the Climate Change Act means that the region needs to reduce this figure substantially.”

Jonathan Blackie, Regional Director at Government Office North East, said: “The region has already started to put itself in a strong position to tackle climate change. This study helps us to understand the scale of the challenge we face, and I hope that it will encourage regional and local partners and communities to make progress together. Local authority, business and community leadership will be essential to success.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .