Long description

This is a set of five stacked bar charts, which show the total UK carbon footprint in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019, and its breakdown, as published by the government in 2022. 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 2000 was 1038 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, made up of 65 million tonnes of private road transport emissions (the bottom orange coloured section of the bar), 92 million tonnes of emissions from home heating (the second grey section stacked on top of the bottom section); 407 million tonnes from production emissions arising in the UK from purchase of goods and services by UK consumers (the third blue section) ; and 474 million tonnes arising from imported goods and services purchased by UK consumers and businesses (the top light brown). By 2019 the total had fallen to 774 million tonnes CO2 equivalent made up of 68 million tonnes of private road transport emissions, 80 million tonnes of emissions from home heating; 257 million tonnes from production emissions arising in the UK from purchase of goods and services by UK consumers and 369 million tonnes arising from imported goods and services purchased by UK consumers and businesses. So from 2000 to 2019 emissions from UK production, consumption and imports fell. The total carbon footprints for 2005, 2010 and 2015 were respectively 1108, 920 and 886 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.