Sussex is "greener" than the UK as a whole when it comes to climate change-causing emissions, new figures reveal.

Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show the county is pumping fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per head of population than the national average.

Carbon dioxide is believed to the key cause of global warming, which has been linked to extreme weather and flooding.

The area of Sussex which produces the largest amount of CO2 per year is Brighton and Hove, at 1.3 million tonnes.

But, when spread across the city's population, this comes to just 5.4 tonnes per person - the second lowest rate in the county and well below the national average of 9.3 tonnes per head.

The part of the county with the highest emissions per person is Chichester, at 8.7 tonnes over the year. It is followed by Horsham, on 8.2 tonnes, and Crawley and Mid Sussex, both on 8.0 tonnes.

The greenest part of Sussex, producing just 4.9 tonnes per head - about half the national average - is Hastings.

The figures cover 2005, the latest period for which information is available, and include emissions from road transport and business as well as households.

They show Britain produced a total of 545 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the year.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said Britain's CO2 emissions should be reduced by at least 60 per cent by 2050 - and possibly by as much as 80 per cent.

Climate Change minister Phil Woolas said: "As well as taking action to reduce emissions themselves, local authorities have a vital role to play in challenging and informing their residents to drive down emissions across the area they serve.

"In recognition of this, action on climate change will be included in part of the performance framework used to assess local government performance for the first time from April next year."

Tory Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth called for the Government to make the process clearer and easier if households were to be encouraged to do more to cut emissions.

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