David Ruffley MP has today highlighted a disturbing fact, in the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) report 'Climate Change and the East of England', that the East of England is the largest emitter of CO2 from domestic sources in the whole of the UK.

David also drew attention to the fact that the East of England is the UK region likely to be most affected by climate change since it is a flat and low lying region on the east coast.

The Environment Agency in the EEDA report predicts that by 2080 the region will experience:

• a rise in overall temperature by 2- 5 degrees Celsius

• hotter and drier summers, milder and wetter winters

• summer rainfall could see a drop of up to 45- 50 percent

• winter could see rainfall increasing by up to 30 percent

• a rise in sea levels of 22- 28cm and a risk of flooding and coastal erosion

• longer growing seasons with no dominant season

• lower humidity and drop in soil moisture levels potentially affecting trees and woodland

The East of England is ranked 5th in the UK for CO2 emissions per head and is the largest emitter per head from domestic sources.

The report calls for the levels of industrial and domestic carbon emissions to addressed and states that work needs to be done with the aviation industry to support its commitment to working towards reducing emissions in its industry.

David said:

'This report by EEDA highlights the very real threat climate change poses to our region.

'The East of England needs to be at the forefront of the climate change agenda due to its vulnerable geography.

'If, as the Environment Agency predicts, by 2080 overall temperatures in the East of England rise by 5 degrees Celsius and sea levels increase by 28 centimetres there could be disastrous consequences for our region.

'I would like to congratulate EEDA for the publication of this report; it is of the utmost importance that we in the East of England take environmental issues seriously.

'It is a worrying statistic that the East of England is the largest CO2 emitter from domestic sources per head of the population in the whole of the UK and this is something we urgently need to address.

'This isn't about national politics, we're all in this together and we must recognise that we have a shared responsibility to act. All of us together- Government, business, families and individuals- need to play our part if we are to begin to address the environmental issues that are so important to our future.'