Skip to main content

Environment: treading lightly on the Earth

Completion requirements
View all sections of the document

Figure 4 is a set of four stacked bar charts, which show the total UK carbon footprint in 1997, 2007, 2012 and 2013, and its breakdown, as published by the government in 2016. Each bar shows the direct and indirect carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with the UK population’s consumption of energy, food and goods and services, including emissions embedded in imports. The total in 1997 was 1118 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, made up of 64 million tonnes of private road transport emissions (the bottom light green coloured section of the bar), 80 million tonnes of emissions from home heating (the second dark green section stacked on top of the bottom section); 436 million tonnes from production emissions arising in the UK from purchase of goods and services by UK consumers (the third blue section) ; and 530 million tonnes arising from imported goods and services purchased by UK consumers and businesses (the top grey section). By 2013 the total had fallen to 1050 million tonnes CO2 equivalent made up of 63 million tonnes of private road transport emissions, 80 million tonnes of emissions from home heating; 325 million tonnes from production emissions arising in the UK from purchase of goods and services by UK consumers and 582 million tonnes arising from imported goods and services purchased by UK consumers and businesses. So from 1997 to 2013 emissions from UK production and consumption fell while emissions from imports rose. The total carbon footprints for 2007 and 2012 were respectively 1296 and 1025 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.

 1.4.1 Percentages and parts per million (ppm)