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Green economy, green business

UK’s Carbon Footprint – Carbon dioxide emissions relating to UK consumption

Latest data on the UK’s carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint shows a continuation of the decrease in carbon dioxide emissions. Between 2008 and 2009, the UK’s carbon dioxide footprint fell by 9 per cent. This follows a steady rise of 35 per cent between 1995 and 2005, leaving the footprint in 2009 some 20 per cent higher than it was in 1990.

Official Statistics Release (pdf)

Why is this important – We are all consumers – of food and drink, personal travel, household products and travel tourism. As such, we are accountable to some degree for the pressures which our consumption puts on the environment.

CO2 emissions associated with UK consumption 1990 to 2009

When investigating the impact that UK consumption has on carbon dioxide emissions, the worldwide production of goods consumed in the UK needs to be taken into account as well as goods produced in the UK. Since 1990 the structure of the UK economy has shifted towards the services sector. The consequence of this is that more of the goods UK households consume are now produced abroad.
CO₂ emissions associated with imported goods and services consumed in the UK accounted for around a quarter of the carbon dioxide footprint in 1990 (166 million tonnes (mt) CO₂, 27 per cent); by 2009 their share had increased to just under half (331 mt CO₂, 45 per cent).

Data download

Official Statistics Release (pdf)

Data download for chart (csv)

Excel detailed yearly data (xls)