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Climate Change

Volume 451: debated on Monday 6 November 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his oral statement of 12 October 2006, Official Report, column 485, on climate change, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the film “An Inconvenient Truth” has raised awareness of climate change. (97507)

Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” was released in the UK on 15 September 2006. According to the distributors, United International Pictures, the film has been seen by 125,000 people. By the time the film is released worldwide, the global audience will be around 5 million.

The film will be released as a DVD on 21 November 2006, with a potential worldwide audience of 10-20 million.

On July 27, the Secretary of State hosted an advanced viewing event of “An Inconvenient Truth” at Bafta in London. The 190 attendees included journalists, students, representatives from various local authorities, large membership organisations, representatives from the voluntary and community sectors, environmental groups and key individuals from executive agencies and funded bodies. Feedback suggested the film is likely to be highly effective in inspiring those who watch it to do more to tackle climate change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards meeting the Government's climate change targets. (98626)

The 2006 UK Climate Change Programme contains a package of measures and commitments that will help reduce the UK’s emissions of greenhouse gases to about 23.6 per cent. below base year levels and carbon dioxide emissions to 16.2 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. In addition, the recently published Energy Review set out ambitious proposals to get us on course to achieve real progress in emissions reductions by 2020 and put us on the right path to achieving our goal of 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. The package will deliver between 19 to 25 million tonnes of carbon savings by 2020.

The UK is therefore on course to meet and go substantially beyond its Kyoto target of a reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12.

The Government will be reporting on progress with these targets via an annual report to Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of future immigration and population growth on the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the UK; and if he will make a statement. (99119)

UK greenhouse gas emissions projections take into account the latest population projections from the Office for National Statistics. DEFRA has not made any specific analysis of the impacts of immigration on greenhouse gas emissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in securing funding from his Climate Change Fund in the latest round; for which schemes funding was awarded; how much was awarded in each case; and when applications will be invited for the next round of bids. (98681)

The successful and unsuccessful bids from local authorities for funding from the Climate Change Fund are set out in the following table:

Successful local authorities

Local authority

2006-07

2007-08

Total

London

Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea

18,450.00

3,550.00

22,000.00

London borough of Lewisham

74,950.00

30,150.00

105,100.00

Greater London authority

229,500.00

187,500.00

417,000.00

London borough of Bromley

30,000.00

30,000.00

London borough of Sutton

73,000.00

75,750.00

148,750.00

South East

Crawley borough council

124,747.00

125,949.00

250,696.00

South West

Somerset county council

124,900.00

113,600.00

238,500.00

West Midlands

Stoke on Trent city council

50,354.00

47,953.00

98,307.00

Shropshire county council

13,000.00

7,000.00

20,000.00

North East

Sunderland city council

20,500.00

15,000.00

35,500.00

Yorkshire and Humber

City of Bradford metropolitan district council

94,900.00

106,000.00

200,900.00

Kingston Upon Hull city council

42,689.00

68,728.00

111,417.00

East Midlands

Derby city council

50,000.00

51,480.00

101,480.00

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Local Authorities’ Energy Partnership

207,500.00

171,500.00

379,000.00

The Wellingborough Partnership

6,700.00

6,700.00

East of England

Ipswich borough council

44,098.00

44,098.00

Unsuccessful local authorities

London

London borough of Lewisham (2nd application)

London borough of Bexley

Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea (2nd application)

London borough of Hillingdon

London borough of Ealing

London borough of Havering

South East

Chichester district council

Arun district council

Woking borough council

Bracknell Forest borough council

Elmbridge borough council

Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Hampshire county council

Basingstoke and Deane borough council

Slough borough council

Southampton city council

Eastbourne borough council

Lewes district council

Guildford borough council

Kent county council

Maidstone borough council

South West

Devon county council

Swindon borough council

Penwith district council

Teignbridge district council

Warwickshire county council

Redditch borough council

Malvern Hills district council

North West

Lancaster county council

Warrington borough council

Trafford metropolitan borough council

Carlisle city council

Manchester city council

Liverpool city council

North East

Scarborough borough council

Chester-le-Street district council (two applications)

Yorkshire and Humber

Selby district council

Rotherham metropolitan borough council

Kirklees metropolitan council

Wakefield district council

Harrogate borough council

Leeds city council

City of York council

North Yorkshire county council

East Riding of Yorkshire council

Scarborough borough council

East Midlands

Broxtowe borough council

Nottingham city council

East Midlands Regional Assembly

East of England

Breckland district council

Colchester borough council

Luton borough council

Essex county council

North Norfolk district council

Cambridgeshire county council

We are considering funding a second round of projects in 2007 to focus on changing people’s behaviour but a decision has not yet been taken. Any further rounds will be publicised and announced on our website, www. climatechallenge.gov.uk.