London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 15, 2026

Climate change: Is Greta Thunberg right about UK carbon emissions?

Climate change: Is Greta Thunberg right about UK carbon emissions?

The climate activist Greta Thunberg has claimed the UK overstates how much it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The government says annual emissions have fallen by 44% since 1990.

But she told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme: "For example the UK, one popular thing to say is that you have reduced your emissions by 44% since 1990, and of course that sounds good... but if you look at the actual emissions that's not the case."

So who is right? It all depends on what you count as a country's emissions.

Which emissions does the UK measure?


The UK's 44% reduction refers to 'territorial emissions'.

These measure what happens within a country's borders - including things such as heating and powering homes, transport, domestic industry and agriculture.

But they exclude emissions from international aviation, shipping and imports.

The UK is not unique in producing its figures like this, though.

Each year, countries that are signed up to an international agreement called the Kyoto Protocol submit their overall emissions figures to the UN. That reporting is all done on a territorial basis - so they all exclude international aviation, shipping and imports.

Miss Thunberg has also criticised other countries for using these same methods.

What happens if you factor in other emissions?


The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), produces figures on "consumption emissions" - a measure based on everything the UK uses, including imports.

These take into account emissions associated with producing goods overseas (in places such as China) which the UK then imports. They also include emissions from international aviation and shipping.

These are not used by the government as official figures though.

Greta Thunberg joined a climate protest in London before Cop26

On this measure, Defra estimated the UK's overall carbon footprint in 2018 was about 26% lower than in 1997, when it first published these figures.

The WWF - a non-governmental organisation focused on the environment - has factored in 'consumption emissions' dating back to 1990, and estimates that up until 2016, UK emissions declined by 15%.

The UK says its target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will factor in both aviation and shipping following pressure from campaigners.

What about burning biomass?


In her interview, Greta Thunberg also highlighted the burning of biomass in the UK, suggesting it was excluded from the government's territorial emissions.

Burning biomass such as wood and other organic materials is playing an increasing role in the UK's electricity supply, accounting for about 12% of it last year.

The biomass grown and burnt here would be counted as part of the UK's territorial emissions, but any brought in from overseas would not be.

Large amounts of biomass burnt in the UK comes from the US and Canada - and critics argue that importing it from abroad is not sustainable due to the emissions associated with its transport.

UK government research has shown that emissions from the electricity generated from biomass can be higher than those from fossil fuels, depending on factors such as the type of biomass and where it comes from.

Wood pellets from the US and Canada are burnt as biomass in the UK
What emissions figures should be used?


'Consumption emissions' figures - based on everything the UK uses - can be less accurate because tracking the total use of emissions through complex global supply chains is very difficult.

It can lead to some double-counting, although no country currently counts international aviation and shipping in their territorial emissions, so double-counting wouldn't happen from these two sources.

Using 'consumption emissions' also means countries are measuring things they do not always control.

For example, if the UK imports products from China and then China starts making things in a more carbon-intensive way, the UK's consumption emissions would go up, despite consuming the same amount.

'Territorial emissions' can be a clearer measure of how the government is acting to tackle emissions at home.

There are continuing debates about how responsibility for the emissions associated with global supply chains should be shared out between countries, particularly as many developing countries are responsible for manufacturing things then used in more developed countries.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
×