Public Buildings in U.K. Emit More CO2 Than All of Kenya


London, UK – Government buildings in England and Wales emit more than 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, more than the entire country of Kenya, the Guardian reports.


The Guardian based its report on unpublished findings of energy efficiency audits of public buildings that the news organization obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.


Audits of 9,000 of 18,000 public buildings showed that the structures reviewed thus far produce 5.6 million tonnes of CO2, and officials expect that figure to double when the assessments are complete, the Guardian said.


The government has a goal of slashing its buildings’ CO2 emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050.


"This confirms that the leadership society needs from government on reducing carbon emissions from buildings isn’t there," Tony Juniper, an independent sustainability campaigner and former director of Friends of the Earth told the Guardian.


"For the U.K. to have any chance of meeting the 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, which is now enshrined in law, there has to be radical change in this area."


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