CURRENT CARBON EMISSIONS
Carbon Emissions in the Horsham District
In order to understand how the aims and targets of this Strategy might be achieved, it is useful to have an overview of the main sources of carbon emissions.
The emissions for the Horsham District are compiled by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Only the data for 2005 and 2006 can be compared. The latest information available is for 2006.
The data showed that:
- In 2006 Horsham District had the highest tonnage of carbon dioxide emitted compared with all the District/Borough Councils in West Sussex (with a total of 968ktCO2)
- Emissions fell slightly between 2005 and 2006 (from 983ktCO2 to 968ktCO2)
- Per capita emissions were the third highest in West Sussex (with 7.5 tonnes per capita).
The carbon emissions are recorded across three sectors; industry and commerce, domestic and road transport. Thechart shows that there was an even spread of emissions from these three sectors.
The targets set for the District reflect those that are currently being used nationally. The graph below shows how much of a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will be required to achieve the targets suggested in the Strategy.
The question is where is this likely to be achieved? There is not a clear picture at the moment, although most of these savings will come about through national policy.
Some rough calculations can give an idea of where reductions could be made. A reduction of 59ktCO2 (or 6%) could be made in the domestic sector through:
- installing cavity wall and loft insulation
- draught proofing homes
- installing efficient boilers
- using energy efficient light bulbs
Encouraging similar actions across the three sectors will achieve approximately 15% reduction in emissions. The longer term targets will, therefore, be very challenging.
Horsham District Council's Carbon Emissions
More comprehensive data is currently being compiled on the carbon dioxide emissions from the Council’s buildings, vehicles etc. for a national performance indicator that will be submitted to Government. This will be available later this year and will record emissions from Council buildings, business travel and outsourced services for 2008/2009 (financial year).
“Average household emissions”
In order to take action on climate change it is useful to understand which actions produce the most carbon dioxide. The chart shows this for an average household.
This shows that transport makes a big contribution. Another big contribution comes from heating our homes, which is why insulating our homes and using efficient heating systems is so important.
If we all take actions in these areas we can make a difference.