CO2 emissions soar

4:30pm Saturday 30th August 2008

St Albans is one of the worst offenders of CO2 emissions a report has revealed.

The study commissioned by superstore ASDA and carried out by York University’s Centre for Sustainability Accounting (CenSA) revealed St Albans residents have one of the largest Carbon footprints producing 14.22 tonnes of CO2.

St Albans came second in a top ten table of worst offenders.

East Hertfordshire's residents topped the table by producing 14.68 tonnes of CO2.

The report also revealed how small lifestyle changes could have a significant impact on the environment.

“The UK is responsible for one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year and of this, households are accountable for 75 per cent,” said John Barrett, Research Associate at CenSA.

“By making small changes to their consumption patterns, households can make a big difference to the environment and also save money.”

Turning the heating down by just one degree can save a household almost £6,000. By not leaving appliances on standby, each home can save over £2,000 during a lifetime – if all households in the UK did this then it would save enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes every single year.

On the back of the study, ASDA launched a booklet giving customers tips and advice on easy ways to save money and live a healthy lifestyle, while helping the environment at the same time.

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