Climate changing gas high in Pembrokeshire and Port Talbot

High levels of the main gas causing climate change are emitted from the Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire local authority areas, according to official figures unearthed by Friends of the Earth Cymru [1].

Neath Port Talbot emits 6,265,000 tonnes, or 46 tonnes per head of population, while Pembrokeshire emits 4,376,000 tonnes, or 37 tonnes per person. The high figures are due mainly to the industrial activity in Port Talbot and the oil refineries in Pembrokeshire.

The Pembrokeshire figure is considerably higher than in neighbouring Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, which emit 1,697,000 tonnes and 605,000 tonnes a year respectively. In terms of emissions per head of population, Pembrokeshire emits over four times more than its neighbouring counties.

Although the statistics should be used with caution, as they are the first attempt at producing this information at a local authority level, the figures for Pembrokeshire are almost identical to the ones estimated in a study by the Pembrokeshire Energy Agency in 2003 [2]. This study identified the two oil refineries on the shores of Milford Haven as the main source of carbon dioxide, being responsible for around three quarters of total emissions. The second largest source in the county is energy use in homes, followed by transport.

Overall, Wales is performing poorly in achieving reductions and, since the target date of 1990, carbon dioxide emissions have risen slightly. By comparison, emissions in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland showed a slight decline but they are still well short of the Government's target of a 20 per cent reduction by 2010 [3].

The local authority figures have been released just as concern about the impacts of climate change is increasing significantly. Earlier this week (Monday), Tony Blair, speaking in response to a report on climate change, warned that the risks are greater than previously thought [4]. This is consistent with a number of other recent scientific reports that have warned that climate change is happening quicker and is more severe than predicted [5].

Friends of the Earth is calling for big improvements in the use of energy in order to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and for local authorities to take a more prominent role in addressing the problem locally.

Gordon James, of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:

"This data and recent scientific evidence should act as a wake-up call for much more action to be taken to reduce these emissions. More has to be done to improve energy efficiency and to develop cleaner energy sources that do not emit carbon dioxide.

"The high level of carbon dioxide emissions in Pembrokeshire will surprise many as it is totally at odds with the green image of the county that makes it such an attractive place for visitors. Unfortunately, the amount of energy derived from renewable sources of energy is negligible in the county.

"We would like to see local authorities use the Local Development Plan process to promote higher standards of energy efficiency in buildings, require land-use patterns that reduce the need to travel by car and promote renewable energy use. Some local authorities, such as Merton Borough Council in London, require developments over a certain size to incorporate on-site renewable energy equipment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least ten per cent.

"We believe that the Welsh Assembly must also take climate change more seriously. They could, for instance, set up a climate change unit, appoint a cabinet minister to take a strong lead on the issue, fund a national climate change awareness programme that would also highlight solutions, and give more support to energy saving measures and renewable energy developments."

Friends of the Earth believe that the LNG developments on the shore of Milford Haven will add to the already high carbon dioxide emissions from Pembrokeshire. They are opposing the proposed LNG power station at Pembroke arguing that it is too wasteful of energy and that it should be designed so that the waste heat would be used by local industry such as the oil refineries.

Also of significance to Wales is a recent Environment Agency report on the state of the marine environment [6]. This warns that climate change is now the biggest threat to the coasts of Britain causing flooding, coastal erosion and habitat loss as both sea temperatures and sea levels rise and storms become more frequent. One effect has been to drive the diminishing cod stocks northwards to colder waters.

Gordon James continued:

"Scientific research is increasingly showing that climate change is a bigger problem than previously realised. Urgent action must be taken both locally and nationally to reduce the emissions that are causing it. As well as reducing emissions, cleaner energy systems also have the benefits of cutting fuel bills and creating jobs."

Notes

1.'Local and Regional Estimates of Carbon Emissions, 2003' by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

2. 'The Pembrokeshire Energy Study' by the Pembrokeshire Energy Agency, January 2003. The Pembrokeshire Energy Agency ran from June 2000 to September 2003 under a three-year contract with the Energy Directorate of the European Commission and in partnership with the West Wales Eco Centre and Pembrokeshire County Council.

3. Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 -2003 produced by the National Environmental Technology Centre (NETCEN) for DEFRA

4. Tony Blair, reported in Monday's Independent (30-1-06), responding to the publication of the report 'Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change' which summarises the UK government organised conference at the Meteorological Office in Exeter last year.

5. On August 11th 2005, the New Scientist reported that research by scientists from Oxford University and Tomsk State University in Russia had recorded the melting of an area of Siberian bog the size of Germany and France combined and that this threatened to unleash billions of tonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. On September 29th, the BBC news website reported that scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre at the University of Colorado had identified a record loss of sea ice in the Arctic indicating that the Arctic has entered an irreversible phase of warming that would accelerate the melting of the polar ice that has helped to keep the climate stable for thousands of years. And in October, scientists from Cranfield University reported in Nature magazine2 that soils in Britain are no longer acting as carbon sinks but, due to rising temperatures, are releasing huge quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. All these are regarded as probable 'tipping points' beyond which change is irreversible.

6. 'Cleaner Coasts Healthier Seas' by the Environment Agency, November 2005. This can be found on the Environment Agency website www.environment-agency.gov.uk/marine