Local authorities should have 'statutory duty' to combat climate change

May 17 2012

There should be a statutory duty for local authorities in the UK to combat climate change, government advisors have recommended, saying that many councils are falling behind with their responsibilities.

The environment news came after the Committee on Climate Change met to discuss the role of councils in reducing pollution and environmental damage. The committee concluded that local authorities can make major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in areas such as housing, traffic and waste.

However, fiscal restraints on regional governing bodies means that many have their hands tied when it comes to introducing the required measurements, which means that more government support may be needed.

David Kennedy, the committee's chief executive, said: "We've got national carbon budgets with ambitious emission cuts built into them, and if we weren't to address the cuts local authorities can make, we'd not meet the targets.

"Local authorities can have a very big impact in areas such as improving energy efficiency in buildings, sustainable travel and waste management," he told BBC News.

The news comes after a report was commissioned by the Woodland Trust in conjunction with Lancaster University and Birmingham University which found that trees and vegetation in urban centres can scrub pollutants from the air.

Local budget restraints prompted the report to be undertaken, which highlights the significant benefits associated with inner-city greenery. They found that the overall benefits of trees to air quality respiratory health are ‘overwhelmingly positive’.

Mike Townsend, Woodland Trust conservation advisor and report author, said: “Although air quality in the UK has improved in recent decades, there remain serious health issues relating to air pollution, particularly in towns and cities. For example, the UK has one of the world’s highest rates of childhood asthma, with about 15 per cent of children affected. But, as this new report shows, Columbia University researchers found asthma rates among children were significantly lower in areas with more street trees.”