WINCHESTER has seen a drop in carbon dioxide emissions since 2005 but still has a long way to go to meet government targets to slash emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, new figures show.
The data comes as a new report from the Committee for Climate Change committee – an independent advisory body – said Government action on emissions is "worrying slow".
Figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero show carbon dioxide emissions in Winchester dropped 36.9 per cent from a total of 940 ktCO2e in 2005 – when data is first available – to 593 ktCO2e in 2021.
This was the equivalent of 4.6 tonnes of CO2 emitted per person in 2021.
These figures cover emissions "within the scope of influence" of the local authority, excluding pollution from sources such as motorways and large industrial plants.
Kelsie Learney, Winchester City Council's cabinet member for the climate emergency, said: “While Winchester’s CO2 emissions have reduced we need them to drop faster and much further to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.
"Working with residents and local businesses, the council can play a significant role in meeting that challenge but without genuine commitment and increased investment from central government we will all be working with one hand tied behind our back.”
The Government has committed to slashing emissions by 68 per cent by 2030.
A spokesperson said the UK is cutting emissions faster than any other G7 country.
They said: “In the last year alone, we have confirmed the first state backing of a nuclear project in over 30 years and invested billions to kick-start new industries like carbon capture and floating offshore wind.”
Local authority emissions nationally have dropped 39 per cent since 2005, including a significant fall in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
However, they saw an eight per cent increase between 2020 and 2021 as the UK came out of lockdown and economic activity resumed.
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In Winchester, this resulted in a rise of 7.3 per cent from 553 ktCO2e in 2020.
Chris Gillham from WinAcc, an environmental organisation, said: “Since we manufacture less than we did, it is likely that the slope of the decline of all emissions since 1990 would be much less steep if we counted consumption emissions. It also seems likely that a rich area like Winchester would show significantly higher-than-average use of international air travel.
"In short, Winchester has nothing to boast about in relation to reducing its carbon consumption.”
Phil Gagg, a WinAcc Trustee, said: “During the pandemic in 2020 we saw a slightly greater decline in the amount of harmful greenhouse gas emissions in [the] Winchester district compared with the UK.
"However, in 2021 these rose back to almost pre-pandemic levels, growing at the same rate as they did nationally. As a district Winchester still has higher greenhouse gas emissions levels per person than the national average.”
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