Guernsey twice as dirty as Jersey due to landfill
GREENHOUSE gas emissions per person in Guernsey are nearly double those in Jersey, with dirty waste management mostly to blame.
And every year since 2010 Guernsey has been more polluting than its larger sister island, latest figures show.
Dealing with the island's rubbish, largely through landfill, in 2015 contributed 28.8% to total emissions and 11 times the actual amount of our sister island – 110 kilotonnes CO2 equivalent compared with 10kt of CO2e.
Other big contributors are transport and power generation.
Jersey produces 3.56 tonnes of CO2e per person, compared with Guernsey at 6.08, the UK 7.61 and the Isle of Man at 8.89.
Richard Evans, deputy managing director of States' Trading Assets, said waste management was the largest contributor to Guernsey's total because of our continuing reliance on landfill for disposal.
'The methane gas released by decomposing material has 21 times higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide.
'Overall emissions from waste have been falling in the last 10 years, thanks to a significant reduction in the amount of waste being sent to landfill during that time.
'The total for 2015 was more than 20% lower than in 2008, which is significant progress. An increased focus on waste reduction and recycling has made a major contribution to this.'
