# Local greenhouse gas emissions across the UK

Total UK greenhouse gas emissions allocated to local areas fell from 655.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2005 to 351.3 million tonnes in 2024, a fall of 46 per cent. This page covers every one of the 361 local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on one consistent method: the split by sector, the areas with the highest and lowest emissions per head, and how the four nations compare.

Source page: https://britishresilienceindex.com/deep-dive/local-emissions
Machine readable data: https://britishresilienceindex.com/data/deep-dive/local-emissions.json

## How to read this

These are territorial emissions: the greenhouse gases physically released within each area's boundary, not the carbon footprint of what residents consume. An area with a power station, steelworks or cement works can show high emissions even if its residents consume little energy, while emissions embedded in imported goods are excluded entirely. Figures include land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), which can be a net sink (negative) for individual areas with large forests or peatland, so all figures on this page are net totals on a consistent, LULUCF-included basis; none mix the two. Emissions per head use DESNZ's own mid-year population estimate for each area and year, derived from ONS census based population estimates; per head figures are therefore derived, not directly measured.

## UK emissions fell 46 per cent since 2005

Total UK greenhouse gas emissions allocated to local areas, including the small share DESNZ cannot attribute to a specific local authority, fell from 655.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2005 to 351.3 MtCO2e in 2024, a fall of 46 per cent. The fall has not been steady: emissions rose between 2009 and 2010 (a cold winter following a low base in the 2009 recession), between 2011 and 2012, and between 2020 and 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions eased. This local authority method total is narrower than the UK's full territorial inventory, which also counts international aviation and shipping, military transport and fluorinated gases that cannot be assigned to a local area; the full UK inventory stood at 373.4 MtCO2e in 2024.

**Series**

| year | mt |
|---|---|
| 2,005 | 655.8 |
| 2,006 | 650.7 |
| 2,007 | 636.3 |
| 2,008 | 616.5 |
| 2,009 | 561.3 |
| 2,010 | 575.1 |
| 2,011 | 531.4 |
| 2,012 | 550.3 |
| 2,013 | 539.2 |
| 2,014 | 498.5 |
| 2,015 | 479.9 |
| 2,016 | 451.9 |
| 2,017 | 441.1 |
| 2,018 | 434.7 |
| 2,019 | 419.1 |
| 2,020 | 383.6 |
| 2,021 | 399.9 |
| 2,022 | 375.8 |
| 2,023 | 360 |
| 2,024 | 351.3 |

## Transport and homes are the largest sources

Of the 351.7 MtCO2e attributed to the 361 named local authority areas in 2024, transport was the largest source at 32 per cent, followed by the domestic sector, meaning energy use in and around the home, at 22 per cent. Industry and agriculture each accounted for around 14 per cent, commercial premises for 8 per cent, and the waste, public sector and land use, land use change and forestry sectors made up the remainder.

| name | mt | pct |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | 113 | 32.1 |
| Domestic | 78 | 22.2 |
| Industry | 50.8 | 14.4 |
| Agriculture | 48.2 | 13.7 |
| Commercial | 27.5 | 7.8 |
| Waste management | 21.1 | 6 |
| Public sector | 10.6 | 3 |
| Land use, land use change and forestry | 2.5 | 0.7 |

## England has fallen fastest since 2005, Northern Ireland the slowest

Emissions have fallen in all four UK nations since 2005, but not at the same pace, and not to the same level per person. England and Wales have seen the largest proportional falls, Northern Ireland the smallest. On a per person basis the ranking reverses: Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all run above the UK average, largely reflecting agriculture and, in Northern Ireland, domestic heating with fuels other than mains gas. England has the lowest emissions per person of the four nations.

| name | mt2005 | mt2024 | fallPct | perCapita2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 510.6 | 273.7 | 46.4 | 4.67 |
| Scotland | 63.2 | 36.6 | 42.1 | 6.6 |
| Wales | 43.8 | 23.5 | 46.2 | 7.39 |
| Northern Ireland | 24.6 | 17.9 | 27.3 | 9.27 |

- **Uk per capita2024**: 5.1

## City of London highest, three London boroughs lowest

Net emissions per head vary enormously by local authority, mostly because of differences in local industry and land, not because residents in high emitting areas live very differently to those elsewhere. City of London recorded the highest emissions per head in 2024, at 36 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person, driven by commercial activity relative to its very small resident population. Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides) was second highest, driven by emissions from peatland rather than industry or transport. The lowest per head emissions were all in dense London boroughs: Harrow, Waltham Forest and Redbridge, each around 2 tonnes per person.

**Highest**

| name | country | percap | topSector | topSectorPct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | England | 36 | Commercial | 66 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | Scotland | 32.8 | Land use, land use change and forestry | 77 |
| High Peak | England | 32.3 | Industry | 82 |
| Neath Port Talbot | Wales | 29 | Industry | 87 |
| North Lincolnshire | England | 28.9 | Industry | 79 |
| Shetland Islands | Scotland | 23.2 | Land use, land use change and forestry | 65 |
| Rutland | England | 20.6 | Industry | 63 |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | Northern Ireland | 18.2 | Agriculture | 44 |
| Ribble Valley | England | 16.1 | Industry | 57 |
| Orkney Islands | Scotland | 15.6 | Agriculture | 60 |

**Lowest**

| name | country | percap | topSector | topSectorPct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrow | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 53 |
| Waltham Forest | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 44 |
| Redbridge | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 46 |
| Lewisham | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 45 |
| Hackney | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 38 |
| Gosport | England | 2.1 | Domestic | 42 |
| Haringey | England | 2.2 | Domestic | 45 |
| Worthing | England | 2.3 | Domestic | 43 |
| Wandsworth | England | 2.3 | Domestic | 42 |
| Hastings | England | 2.3 | Domestic | 45 |

- **Note**: Net emissions per head (including LULUCF), local authority areas of the UK, 2024. Population is DESNZ's own mid-year estimate for each area.

## A single large site can dominate a local authority's total

Emissions from energy supply, such as power stations and refineries, and from large industrial sites are counted where the emission physically occurs, so a single steelworks, cement works or power station can push its host local authority far up the league table even though the area's households and other businesses emit relatively little. This means high or low per head figures for small, industry heavy areas should not be read as a verdict on the area's residents or its council.

| name | country | percap | topSector | topSectorPct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Peak | England | 32.3 | Industry | 82 |
| Neath Port Talbot | Wales | 29 | Industry | 87 |
| North Lincolnshire | England | 28.9 | Industry | 79 |
| City of London | England | 36 | Commercial | 66 |

## For reading local emissions data

- City of London and Na h-Eileanan Siar top the per head league table for opposite reasons, commercial activity and peatland respectively, not because either area's households consume more energy. How much does a single dominant sector explain each area's position, and how much is left once that sector is set aside?
- Emissions here are territorial: they exclude the carbon footprint of imported goods and services. How would the ranking of local authorities change under a consumption based measure that counted goods where they are used rather than where they are made?
- Northern Ireland's emissions have fallen by the smallest margin of the four nations since 2005, and it has the highest emissions per head. How much of that gap reflects the limited reach of the mains gas network compared with Great Britain?
- LULUCF is a net carbon sink in 190 of the 361 local authority areas in 2024, yet the sector is a small net source for the UK as a whole. What does that imply about how forestry and peatland areas should be credited in local climate targets?
- Transport and domestic energy use together make up more than half of local emissions nationally. Local authorities have direct control over relatively little of either. What levers do councils actually have over the emissions counted in their area?

## Sources

- UK local authority and regional greenhouse gas emissions statistics, 2005 to 2024, DESNZ (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-local-authority-and-regional-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistics-2005-to-2024) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- 2005 to 2024 local authority greenhouse gas emissions dataset (CSV) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3bacc9d52550a19950f2f5/2005-24-local-authority-ghg-emissions-csv-dataset.csv) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- UK local authority and regional greenhouse gas emissions statistics collection, DESNZ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-local-authority-and-regional-carbon-dioxide-emissions-national-statistics) · Open Government Licence v3.0

## Caveats and data notes

- These are territorial emissions, physically released within an area's boundary, not the carbon footprint of what residents consume. Emissions embedded in imported goods are excluded; emissions from goods made locally but exported are included.
- Figures include land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) throughout. LULUCF was a net carbon sink (negative) in 190 of the 361 local authority areas in 2024, but no local authority's overall net total was negative in any year from 2005 to 2024; sinks reduced totals but did not outweigh the other sectors.
- Emissions from energy supply (for example power stations and refineries) and from waste are allocated on an end user or waste arising basis, not to the location of the physical site, except for large industrial installations, which are counted where the site is. This means a single large site can dominate its host local authority's total, as shown for High Peak, Neath Port Talbot and North Lincolnshire on this page.
- Emissions per head use DESNZ's own mid-year population estimate for each area and year, itself derived from ONS census based population estimates. Per head figures are a derived measure, not a directly measured one, and are sensitive to areas with very small resident populations, such as City of London.
- The dataset is revised across its entire back series, 2005 to 2024, at every annual release to keep methods consistent over time. Figures here are therefore not directly comparable with any previously published edition of this statistic.
- The local authority method total (351.3 MtCO2e in 2024) is narrower than the UK's full territorial greenhouse gas inventory (373.4 MtCO2e in 2024). The gap is domestic and international aviation and shipping, military transport, exports, fluorinated gases (not available at local authority level) and small methodological differences that DESNZ sets out in its own reconciliation table.
- Fluorinated gases are excluded from these statistics entirely, as they cannot be estimated at local authority level; DESNZ states they were 2 per cent of the UK's total emissions in 2024.
- A significant share of landfill methane emissions in England for 2005 to 2009 could not be allocated to local areas, so waste sector estimates for that period understate emissions in some areas.

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British Resilience Index, a non-partisan UK civic data project. Every figure is
reconciled to its primary official publisher before it is shown. Free to cite with
attribution: https://britishresilienceindex.com