Scotland’s carbon footprint increased in 2017, figures show

Scotland’s carbon footprint increased during 2017 compared to the previous year, the first such rise since 2012.

Official figures which track the greenhouse gas emissions of Scottish consumption, which include emissions embedded in imports, show a 2.6% increase between 2017 and 2018.

The Scottish Government report measured the country’s carbon footprint in million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).

This increased from 68.7 MtCO2e in 2017 to 70.4 MtCO2e in 2018.

Between 1998 and 2017, Scotland’s carbon footprint fell by 30.5%.

The MtCO2e figure rose from 2004 to a peak of 107.6  in 2007, before falling in most of the following years.

Most of the rise in 2017 was due to imported goods and services.

The report said: “Scotland’s carbon footprint refers to estimates of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions on a consumption basis.

“This refers to greenhouse gas emissions which are associated with the spending of Scottish residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise together with emissions directly generated by Scottish households, through private heating and motoring.

“These greenhouse gas emissions are often referred to as ‘consumption emissions’ to distinguish them from estimates relating to the emissions ‘produced’ within a country’s territory or economic sphere.”