Final UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics: 1990 to 2021
Final estimates of UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions.
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This publication provides the final estimates of UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions going back to 1990. Figures for all years since 1990 have been revised since the last publication to incorporate methodological improvements and new data, so the estimates presented here supersede previous ones.
Estimates are presented by source in February of each year. They are updated in March of each year to include estimates with energy supply emissions on an end-user basis, and in June to include estimates by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC).
The statistics cover emissions that occur within the UK’s borders. When emissions are reported by source, emissions are attributed to the sector that emits them directly. When emissions are reported by end-user, energy supply emissions by source are reallocated in accordance with where the end-use activity occurred. This reallocation of emissions is based on a modelling process. For example, all the carbon dioxide produced by a power station is allocated to the power station when reporting on a source basis. However, when applying the end-user method, these emissions are reallocated to the users of this electricity, such as domestic homes or large industrial users.
DESNZ does not estimate emissions outside the UK associated with UK consumption, however the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishes estimates of the UK’s carbon footprint annually.
For the purposes of reporting, greenhouse gas emissions are allocated into a small number of broad, high-level sectors known as National Communication sectors, which are as follows: energy supply, business, transport, public, residential, agriculture, industrial processes, land use land use change and forestry (LULUCF), and waste management.
These high-level sectors are made up of a number of more detailed sectors, which follow the definitions set out by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and which are used in international reporting tables which are submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) every year.
This is a National Statistics publication and complies with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Please check our frequently asked questions or email GreenhouseGas.Statistics@beis.gov.uk if you have any questions or comments about the information on this page.
Last updated 29 June 2023 + show all updates
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Added Annex 2: 1990-2021 final emissions by Standard Industrial Classification, and Supplementary tables: 2021 UK greenhouse gas emissions by Standard Industrial Classification (Excel and ODS formats).
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Published Annex 1, the end user and emission uncertainties tables, and the 2021 dataset of emissions by end user.
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First published.