Emissions Data Explained
Measuring local emissions
UK local authority and regional greenhouse gas emissions tracking is undertaken annually by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
In our opinion, it takes too long to compile (annual figures are released 18 months later) but it’s the best data set we have available, by far.
These statistics provide the most reliable and consistent breakdown of greenhouse gas emissions across the country. The nationally available data sets going back to 2005 and cover emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
To combine the climate-changing effects of these various greenhouse gases, the emissions are expressed in terms of their equivalent warming effect relative to carbon dioxide (CO2). This CO2 equivalent is a standard unit of measurement and a very helpful metric in simplifying complex data.
The data show ‘territorial’ emissions only, meaning total CO2 equivalent emissions that occur within the UK’s borders. As an example, the emissions generated elsewhere from manufacturing all the imported stuff we buy locally and imported food we eat is ignored.
Identifying the sources
The chart data show emissions allocated on an ‘end user’ basis where emissions related to energy use are distributed according to the point of energy consumption. For example, the emissions from burning methane gas (known by the more user-friendly name as ‘natural gas’) on our kitchen stove is allocated to ‘domestic’ end use not to the industry sector that extracts this gas.
Some emissions are not energy related. Examples include emissions from cement production, emissions from livestock farming and methane and nitrous oxide releases from landfills. These non-energy related emissions are allocated based on the point of emission, other than emissions from waste which are distributed based on where the waste was produced.
The sources of polluting greenhouse gases locally are:
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry emissions
Industry emissions
Emissions from the industrial sector covers a wide range of industrial activities from manufacturing to processing to energy production. Local emissions from industry are heavily dependent on whether there are large industrial sites situated in the area. Some of the lowest industry emissions per capita are in London and other big UK cities which have a higher density of residential areas that crowd out industrial sites. Conversely, emissions per capita in the industrial sector are higher in Wales than in the other countries of the UK.
Implementing workplace programmes play a key role in reducing emissions on site as well as more broadly along the entire supply chain. The Carbon Literacy Project has developed a growing range of sectoral courses and materials to help employees take meaningful action and reduce their organisation’s carbon emissions. Planet Mark and other sustainability consultants support industrial companies in reducing carbon emissions to meet their net zero targets and generating long-term business value.
Commercial emissions
Commercial emissions arise mainly from the use of electricity and gas by a wide range of businesses from retail stores to offices, restaurants, hotels and other service-oriented companies. The size of these commercial premises can vary considerably from small shops to large corporations.
While the emissions from individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be relatively low, when combined they account for around half of the total commercial sector emissions and collectively may be a significant emitter in many local areas.
As well as presenting a significant decarbonisation opportunity in themselves, many SMEs help in wider decarbonisation, working with and influencing households and bigger businesses locally. To assist them reduce their emissions, The Carbon Literacy Project has developed sectoral courses for SMEs as well as for businesses in food and hospitality.
Public Sector emissions
Emissions from the wider public sector include local authorities, schools and hospitals.
Local authorities contribute around 6% of the total UK emissions (calculations range up to 9%). Emissions are produced for example by fuel and electricity use in buildings, vehicle fleets and street lighting. Local authorities can do a lot to reduce these emissions locally as demonstrated in their council-specific sustainability plans.
In addition, DESNZ estimates that over 30% of the emissions reductions needed across all sectors locally rely on local authority involvement to some degree. For example, they influence decisions related to social housing and rented homes, public road transport, new commercial or industrial development and new build housing.
Similarly, schools are also community hubs with wider influence that can drive local efforts to reduce area-wide carbon emissions. Their reach can extend well beyond the classroom where they educate future generations about environmental issues and beyond the sustainability practices within their own operations.
The NHS recognises that the climate emergency is a health emergency and that individual hospitals and healthcare sites are significant point sources of local carbon emissions – which is reflected in local area data with big hospital facilities. To help these public sector organisations take action, The Carbon Literacy Project has developed courses for local authorities, schools and healthcare.
Domestic emissions
Emissions from the domestic sector relate to gas and electricity consumption in and around the home. For around 1-in-5 of all local authority areas, the domestic sector is the greatest contributor to end-use emissions. These sector emissions are influenced by the fuel types used, the type and condition of the housing (including its insulation), the average temperature (urban areas can be much warmer and therefore easier to heat than rural areas), average household size, type of household and the income and preferences of the occupiers.
The first step is to reduce the amount of energy houses use and retrofitting insulation is one of the most significant improvements people can make that reduces the domestic sector emissions locally. Insulating our homes offers multiple benefits beyond carbon reduction – including improved comfort and health – and can be more cost-effective. Other solutions include improving energy efficiency in homes and using smart heating controls, installing low-carbon heating at household and district levels, and adopting renewable energy sources such as solar panels or heat pumps.
For success stories related to reducing domestic sector emissions locally, click here and browse domestic building initiatives from around the UK.
Transport emissions
Transport is the largest contributor to UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions and this sector includes road transport, railways, domestic flights and shipping within UK waters. Road transport, particularly cars, is the largest single source of emissions within the sector. While less prominent, international flights and international shipping also contribute significantly to transport emissions although neither is included in the data.
There is currently no appropriate method of allocating transport emissions that is ideal for all purposes. DESNZ allocates road transport emissions to the local authority areas where the traffic is passing through. Clearly some areas will have a greater amount of through traffic or commuters based on the road networks.
Switching from cars with combustion engines to electric vehicles is only part of the solution to reduce road traffic emissions. To move around we need fewer not cleaner vehicles, plus more cycling and walking and better transit systems. For ways to reduce transport emissions locally, click here.
Agriculture emissions
Most emissions in the agriculture sector come from non-CO2 gases, with around half being methane and one-quarter being nitrous oxide (and the rest being CO2). As noted in waste management emissions, the methane produced from agriculture is very harmful in the short-term.
Agricultural emissions come from livestock, agricultural soils, combustion sources such as farm boilers and furnaces, and a range of off-road machinery from tractors to harvesters.
Across the entire UK, greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector alone make up over 1/10 of the total. Agriculture can also be a significant source of emissions locally in certain areas and is the sector with the highest emissions in around 50 local authorities.
Regenerative agriculture can play a key role in reducing local emissions as well as in restoring biodiversity and helping to turn this positive practice into the new normal is something that involves cross-sector collaboration.
Waste Management emissions
Non-CO2 gases make up the majority of waste emissions, with methane emissions from landfill sites in particular making up around three-quarters of the total waste emissions across the UK.
The methane produced from waste emissions is very damaging. Over a 100-year period, methane is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. This comparison jumps to approximately 80 times when considered over the first twenty years.
Rather than recording waste emissions against the locations where the emissions occurred, DESNZ has allocated these emissions to local authorities based on the locations where the waste occurs. This allocation is very helpful in enabling local authorities to understand and have ownership of the emissions resulting from the waste produced in their area.
The first step is to reduce the volume of waste produced locally. See here for lots of examples that different organisations and community groups can take.
LULUCF emissions
LULUCF stands for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry. This sector consists of CO2 emissions and removals from forests, cropland, grassland, peatland and settlements. These land use changes can either release or absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (acting as a ‘sink’ by reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere).
LULUCF is the only sector that includes emission removals. Although the sector is a net source of emissions across the UK as a whole, LULUCF is a net sink in around 50% of all local authority areas.
In general, peatland is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions while forestry is the dominant sink. The biggest single factor in this sector’s emissions removals over the last three years has been the reduction in emissions from peatlands (associated with ongoing management practices such as re-wetting). In most local areas, a lot more can be done to restore peatlands as well as to plant more trees.
Overall, settlements and cropland mineral soils changes are net sources of emissions while grassland mineral soils changes are a net sink. Changes from conventional to regenerative farming practices also reinforce this positive shift towards absorbing more emissions.
On a regional basis there are clear trends in per capita emissions from the LULUCF sector. In large parts of Wales, the North East, and the South East and South West there are large sinks of greenhouse gases. In other parts of the UK, such as in Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of the East of England, LULUCF is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. Northern Ireland has the highest LULUCF emissions per capita, due to the clearing of land for the maintenance and creation of settlements and croplands.
FAQs
For more answers to frequently asked questions about these local emissions statistics, see the UK government’s fact sheet published by DESNZ here.