Government hides carbon emissions with creative accounting

New government figures released today revealing that UK carbon emissions are significantly down are ‘spin, aided by creative accounting’ say the World Development Movement.

The government has announced that UK carbon emissions have fallen by 13 per cent since 1990. But this figure has been manipulated to include carbon credits, and discounts emissions from aviation. A proper analysis of the figures by the World Development Movement reveals that UK carbon emissions have fallen by just 5 per cent since 1990.

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

“Today’s figures have been manipulated to include supposed reductions that have taken place outside the UK, not by the UK. If the UK government is genuinely committed to tackling climate change, this kind of Enron-esque accountancy cannot continue. The government must stop cooking the books and cut carbon emissions in the UK, as well as encouraging cuts around the world, if they are not to be known as the biggest ‘greenwashers’ of all.”

A fall in emissions since 2006 due to less coal being burnt in power stations only cancels out earlier increases. To meet the UK’s climate change targets carbon emissions need to fall by 4 per cent every year, but they fell by just 1.5 per cent in 2007.

Benedict Southworth continued: “We now have ambitious targets for reducing emissions in the UK, but we need the policies to meet them. There is no way the UK will meet its targets for tackling climate change as long as we are building new coal power stations and more runways. The UK has to vastly increase its efforts to prevent climate change taking away the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.”

ENDS

For more information, for a separate copy of the graphic or to organise an interview, please call Tim Jones on 020 7820 4900 or 07817 628196. ISDN available

Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email: kate.blagojevic@wdm.org.uk