Air quality initiatives 'need to happen at local level'

Local councils and MPs need to take responsibility for introducing renewable energy solution and CO2 reduction measures, it has been claimed.

The Renewable Energy Centre has called on regional governments to encourage community projects aimed at cutting carbon dioxide levels and improving air quality across their jurisdictions.

A spokesperson for the business said: "Over 40 per cent of all UK carbon emissions come from our homes, attacking the problem at the local level alongside central government plans should be a key driver towards a low-carbon nation."

She added that this unified approach is the only way to effectively deal with climate change.

A report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) earlier this month discovered that the world's urban population consumes two-thirds of the total primary energy and is responsible for over 70 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

The IEA predicted that this will increase to 76 per cent by 2030.

Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the agency, stressed that local authorities could be instrumental in the uptake of renewable energy sources and have the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Posted by Joseph Hutton