Environment

This theme includes headline indicators for domestic fuel consumption, households experiencing fuel poverty and waste, recycling and the physical environment.

Tackling climate change continues to be a core policy driver at both national and local government level.

The Climate Change Act 2008 imposes legally binding targets of an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a reduction in emissions of at least 34% by 2020.

Reducing waste sent to landfill is a national issue in both environmental and resource terms. Local authorities are being encouraged at a national and regional level to address this by increasing the recycling and re-use of waste.