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UK average footprint
The UK average carbon footprint is about 10 tonnes CO2 per person per year.
This is about double the world average.
It has fallen little since 1990.
The UK government quotes a much smaller figure of about 6 tonnes CO2 per person per year, but this excludes imports/exports, aviation and shipping. This misleading reporting is much criticised - see document 111.
Including all greenhouse gases, the UK average footprint is about 13 tonnes CO2-e per person per year.
UK average carbon footprint: about 10 tonnes CO2 per person per year
The chart shows the UK greenhouse gas emissions including imports/exports, but excluding aviation and shipping.
These are known as "consumption emissions".
It is taken from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) annual report [1] (with editing).
It can be seen that the UK total has fallen little since 1990.
| UK total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - including imports/exports, but excluding aviation | 770 million tonnes CO2e | BEIS [1] |
| Take 80% of this as the UK total CO2 emissions - including imports/exports, but excluding aviation | 80% x 770 million tonnes = 620 million tonnes CO2 | BEIS [1] |
| Add the UK aviation emissions of 80 million tonnes CO2 to give total CO2 emissions | 620 + 80 = 700 million tonnes CO2 | See Aviation emissions below |
| Divide by the UK population of 67 million | 700 / 67 = 10 tonnes per person |
So the UK's average carbon footprint including imports/exports and aviation is about 10 tonnes CO2 per person per year.
UK aviation emissions
The figures for emissions from aviation by UK citizens are obtained from- figures for aviation fuel used in the UK [2]
- a conversion factor of 2.5 tonnes CO2 per tonne oil equivalent, to give the CO2 generated [3]
- an increase by a factor of 1.9 to allow for radiative forcing [4]
- an increase by a factor of 2.38 to allow for (a) return flights, and (b) the proportion of passenges at UK airports who are UK nationals [4]
The UK's average carbon footprint: over double the world average
The world's total CO2 emissions are about 34 billion tonnes per year, which is 4.3 tonnes for each of the 8 billion global population.So the UK's average of 10 tonnes per year is over double the world average.
The UK's average annual footprint is much higher than China's (which is 6 tonnes per person) or India's (2 tonnes per person) - see document 94.
The UK government quotes a carbon footprint figure of about 6 tonnes per person per year
The chart shows the importance of including imports and exports in the UK's total emissions. The lower (blue) line shows the greenhouse gases emissions released within the UK (known as the "territorial emissions"), and the upper (green) line shows the emissions once imports and exports are included. The figures that the UK Government quotes is the lower figure, which treats imports as if they are zero carbon. This is much criticised as being deceitful - see document 111.References
| [1] | 2019 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Final Figures (Feb 2021) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics |
| [2] | https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/environmentalaccounts/datasets/ukenvironmentalaccountsfuelusebytypeandindustry/current/fuelusebytypeandindustry.xls |
| [3] | https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.EG.ZS |
| [4] | https://www.carbonindependent.org/22.html |
First published: 2008
Last updated: 26 Nov 2021