Devon's Carbon Footprint
Each year the University of Exeter’s Centre for Energy and Environment calculates Devon’s carbon footprint. This measures the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere by activities within Devon, Plymouth and Torbay’s boundaries. The calculation relies on national datasets that are published after the emissions have occurred. The latest available carbon footprint is for 2023.
6.79 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
2023 Carbon Footprint
The carbon footprint includes six of the seven greenhouse gases covered by the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol:
- Carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚)
- Methane (CHâ‚„)
- Nitrous oxide (Nâ‚‚O)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆)
Each gas traps a different amount of heat in the atmosphere so their effect on global warming varies. Following common practice, this carbon footprint converts the effect of each gas on global warming into carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) – the amount of carbon dioxide that would have the same effect on global warming. This makes it easier to compare the impact of different activities on the climate.
Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF₃), the seventh gas included in the Kyoto Protocol, is not included in the carbon footprint because it is primarily used in the manufacturing of liquid crystal displays which is not a significant industry in Devon.
Stationary Sources
Residential Buildings
This sub-sector includes the emissions created from using electricity and fossil fuels to heat and power our homes.
Commercial and Institutional Facilities
This sub-sector includes the emissions created from using electricity and fossil fuels in buildings used for business purposes and by the public sector. It excludes manufacturing and industrial premises.
Manufacturing Industries and Construction
This sub-sector covers the emissions created from using electricity and fossil fuels in buildings used for manufacturing and by large industry.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Activities
This sub-sector covers the emissions created from using fossil fuels in machinery in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors.
Industrial Processes and Product Use
This sector includes direct emissions to the atmosphere from the production and use of mineral products (e.g. cement), chemicals, metals, lubricants and fluorinated gases.
Transportation
On-Road Transportation
This sub-sector covers the emissions created from using fossil fuels in vehicles you would expect to see on the road – motorbikes, cars, vans, buses, coaches and lorries.
Railways
This sub-sector covers the emissions created from using fossil fuels to power trains, including heritage railways.
Aviation and Marine
Limited data are available on aviation and marine transport activity for the area and there is no agreed standard way of calculating emissions from these sub-sectors. Nonetheless, estimates have been made, but the uncertainty in the data is too high to include in the carbon footprint.
It is estimated that flight emissions associated with Exeter Airport are 173,000 tonnes COâ‚‚e.
Emissions from fishing vessels are 23,000 tonnes COâ‚‚e. Data for non-fishing vessels is extremely limited.
Waste
This sector covers the emissions created from:
- The biological treatment of waste (composting and biogas plants)
- Waste incineration, including energy-from-waste facilities
- Solid waste disposal, including landfill sites
- Wastewater treatment
Land Use
This sector includes the emissions from:
- Livestock – the gases produced from the digestion of food by ruminants such as sheep and cattle.
- The management of manures.
- The application of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and magnesium fertilizers to land.
- The change in how land is used. For example from farmland to housing development, or from pasture to woodland.
Activities taking place within Devon can generate emissions that occur inside the area as well as outside the area’s boundary. To distinguish among them, the carbon footprint groups emissions into three categories based on where they occur: scope 1, scope 2 or scope 3 emissions.
Scope 1
Direct emissions produced within the area e.g. a car using petrol, or a boiler using natural gas. Scope 1 emissions may also be termed “territorial” or “production” emissions.
Scope 2
Emissions occurring as a result of the use of grid-supplied electricity. Some of these emissions will occur within the area from power stations generating electricity in Devon, and some emissions will occur outside of Devon because Devon is also supplied with electricity from power stations in other parts of the UK and abroad.
Scope 3
All other GHG emissions that occur outside the area as a result of activities taking place within the city boundary. In this carbon footprint Scope 3 emissions are limited to those associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity.
The carbon footprint has been produced following the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
The full methodology from the University of Exeter is available for download. The methodology is refined each year to make the carbon footprint more accurate and is then applied to the historical data so that all years are comparable. This has resulted in historic emissions decreasing slightly, but to an insignificant extent. There have been no major method updates this year, just changes to the government models estimating the underlying data, so there is no methodology update report.
Area Emissions
In 2023, Devon’s emissions were 6.79 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt COâ‚‚e).
Emissions have reduced 3.7% from 2022 and 28.6% since 2010.
The Devon Carbon Plan has set a target for a 50% reduction by 2030 from 2010 levels and net-zero by 2050 at the latest.
| Year | Emissions (t CO2e) |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 9,957,859 |
| 2009 | 9,312,612 |
| 2010 | 9,507,784 |
| 2011 | 8,864,192 |
| 2012 | 9,207,113 |
| 2013 | 9,024,419 |
| 2014 | 8,431,628 |
| 2015 | 8,433,082 |
| 2016 | 8,240,178 |
| 2017 | 8,182,625 |
| 2018 | 8,006,454 |
| 2019 | 7,704,813 |
| 2020 | 7,015,555 |
| 2021 | 7,380,044 |
| 2022 | 7,051,514 |
| 2023 | 6,790,044 |
Devon's Carbon Budget
The carbon budgets described in the Devon Carbon Plan, calculated from 2016 emissions data, have been revised upwards to reflect the slightly lower baseline position resulting from the updated emissions methodology. The previous budget period covered 2018 – 2022 and emissions exceeded the budget cap by about 9%. This exceedance will be carried forward into the current budget period, 2023 – 2027, this is likely to make it harder it to meet the five-year carbon budgets, highlighting the need for urgent action on emissions.
2023 Emissions & Cumulative Carbon Budget for 2023 - 2027
Emissions By Local Authority (2023)
| Local Authority | Emissions (t CO2e) | % of Devon’s Emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Devon County Council Area | 5,419,750 | 80% |
| East Devon | 929,108 | 14% |
| Exeter | 436,269 | 6% |
| Mid Devon | 807,228 | 12% |
| North Devon | 643,794 | 9% |
| South Hams | 677,351 | 10% |
| Teignbridge | 715,858 | 10% |
| Torridge | 661,693 | 10% |
| West Devon | 548,449 | 8% |
| Plymouth | 959,464 | 14% |
| Torbay | 410,829 | 6% |
| Total Devon Emissions | 6,790,044 | 100% |
Emissions By Sector (2023)
| Sector | Emissions (t CO2e) | % of Devon’s Emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings | 2,252,712 | 33% |
| Transport | 2,178,043 | 32% |
| Food, Land and Sea | 1,678,728 | 25% |
| Waste | 585,117 | 9% |
| Industrial Processes and Product Use | 95,444 | 1% |
| Total | 6,790,044 | 100% |
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Visualiser
The below Power BI report allows you to filter the displayed emissions by selecting one or more areas, scopes and sectors.
If you have an accessibility need in relation to the Power BI report below please contact us so we can facilitate your needs. You can view the PowerBI report in full screen by clicking on the icon in the bottom right corner.
Consumption Emissions
International trade means that many of the emissions associated with Devon’s citizens’ day-to-day lives are not emitted within Devon itself but instead occur overseas. For example, purchasing a mobile phone causes 55 kilograms of COâ‚‚e emissions from the minerals extraction, manufacturing, distribution and sale in the UK – but only the emissions associated with the distribution and resale in Devon appear in the carbon footprint described above. These overseas emissions associated with imports are referred to as ‘consumption emissions’ and they are an additional part of the Scope 3 category.
Monitoring consumption emissions from overseas that are attributable to Devon can currently only be done by apportioning the UK national estimates of consumption emissions to Devon using a factor such as Gross Value Added – a measure of the performance of the economy. The latest available data for consumption emissions is 2022. On this basis, the 2022 consumption emissions arising overseas that are attributable to our consumption habits in Devon were 5.5 million tonnes COâ‚‚e, which, when combined with the carbon footprint calculated above, accounts for 44% of Devon’s total GHG emissions. Devon’s imported consumption emissions have increased 14% since 2010.
Note that the figures for consumption emissions and Gross Value Added from previous years have been updated by government due to methodological changes in the way that the data is calculated. Therefore we have updated our figures for previous years.
Consumption emissions are included in the Devon Climate Emergency commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest.
