A NEW survey has revealed that councils in Burton and South Derbyshire have posted rises in carbon dioxide emissions.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has published a detailed breakdown of emissions by local authorities between 2005 and 2010.
The statistics shows that East Staffordshire Borough Council released 452,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2010 — compared to 405,000 in 2009.
South Derbyshire District Council also posted a rise, with figures for 2010 showing 814,000 tonnes compared to 771,000 the year before.
However, both authorities, despite posting rises in 2010, have recorded significant drops since data began to be captured in 2005.
North West Leicestershire District Council also saw figures rise, from 857,000 in 2009 to 893,000 in 2010.
The figures showed that only 12 out of 406 local authorise managed to curb their carbon emissions in 2010.
Emission rates in 394 across the UK actually increased on 2009 levels, a complete reversal of the trend observed between 2008 and 2009, where emission levels decreased almost universally across the UK.
The results also show that domestic emissions have increased in every single local authority area between 2009 and 2010, again completely reversing the trend between 2008 and 2009, when domestic emissions decreased in every single authority.
Overall, the industry and commercial sector accounted for the largest share of emissions across the authorities with 43 per cent of end-user emissions attributed to the sector.
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: “These figures make for grim reading.
“Building a low-carbon economy and meeting our national carbon budgets means all parts of the UK making big emissions cuts, but it looks like we’re going backwards.
“They are a snapshot of 18 months ago but since then, it is unlikely that the situation will have improved.
“The coalition Government’s swingeing cuts to council budgets and ditching of regulations has left councils unable to prioritise energy saving and clean energy in their communities and economies.”
