The front page story in this week's Kent on Sunday is that Kent has the highest carbon emissions of any county in the country. The data were published a few days ago by the Guardian and a breakdown of emissions in kt for various sectors across all regions, counties and boroughs.
Kent has the highest emissions in the country (11,879kt in 2008) of any county. Of course, Kent also has the highest population of any county in the country and so its per capita emissions are broadly in line with the rest of the country (8.5kt per person).
This doesn't mean we should be complacent, though. High populations should lead to economies of scale for energy efficiency. Public transport links should be far more efficient with high populations. Kent is one of the warmest places in the country, with Gravesend often cited as being the warmest on many days and Favesham holding the record for the hottest place in the UK on record (both towns are just north of the North Downs), so energy for heating should be lower than other parts of the UK.
Looking at places with low carbon emissions, Wales, Scotland, North of England etc. we see that they have high per capita emissions as populations are low. London, on the other hand has a low per capita emission figure and a high population.
It doesn't really matter what the population size is, at the end of the day it is the amount of carbon being released that is doing the damage. There needs to be radical change to the way we live if we are to make a serious dent in our emissions.
Green Party campaigner in Kent. Also a nurse, academic, former manager, writer, Druid, husband and father...
2 comments:
There has to be a stopping of the carbon emissions.They are so bad for our health and should be taken care of if we want a pollution free and healthier earth and life.
Manhattan Air Specialists
It is causing ill health to one and all.The carbon emissions can be reduced if the transport used is reduced or kept in control.It is a good observation that the population size does not entail less pollution(air) in the context.
railroad track maintenance
Post a Comment