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 2021.
7.67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
2021 Carbon Footprint
Which gases are included?
The carbon footprint includes six of the seven greenhouse gases covered by the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol. These are:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
Each gas traps a different amount of heat in the atmosphere and 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 emergency.
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 manufacture of liquid crystal displays which is not a significant industry in Devon.
Which activities are included?
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 used by 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 CO2e, which is 2.6% of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay’s total territorial emissions.
Emissions from fishing vessels are 23,000 tonnes CO2e, which is 0.3% of the area’s total territorial emissions. Data for non-fishing vessels is extremely limited. No useful information is available on commercial shipping. Whilst the number of recreational boats far exceed the fishing fleet, usage hours, and hence their emissions, are likely to be low. Finally, the number of registered passenger boats is very small and therefore they will contribute a very small amount to total emissions.
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 farm land to a housing development. Or from pasture to woodland. This sub-category is often negative because the countryside is becoming better managed to absorb carbon dioxide.
How are emissions categorised?
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 | Scope 2 | Scope 3 |
| Emissions from sources located within the area. Scope 1 emissions may also be termed “territorial” or “production” emissions because they are produced within the territory. | 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. | All other GHG emissions that occur outside the area as a result of activities taking places within the city boundary. In this carbon footprint Scope 3 emissions are limited to those associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity. |
What method has been followed?
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.
The methodology has been amended and all historic data back to 2008 updated accordingly. This has resulted in historic emissions increasing slightly.
Area Emissions
In 2021, Devon’s emissions were 7.67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Emissions have bounced back 6 % in 2021 compared to 2020 when emissions reductions were heavily shaped by COVID restrictions. Although, 2021 itself did experience a long-duration, partial lockdown from December 2020 through to May 2021. However, emissions remain below 2019 levels (7.98Mt).
Emissions have reduced 21% 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.
Data as a Table
| Year | Emissions (t CO2e) |
| 2008 | 10,103,623 |
| 2009 | 9,489,999 |
| 2010 | 9,669,074 |
| 2011 | 8,993,001 |
| 2012 | 9,374,926 |
| 2013 | 9,151,470 |
| 2014 | 8,629,420 |
| 2015 | 8,633,491 |
| 2016 | 8,501,775 |
| 2017 | 8,505,124 |
| 2018 | 8,297,525 |
| 2019 | 7,975,730 |
| 2020 | 7,225,977 |
| 2021 | 7,671,395 |
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-higher baseline position resulting from the updated emissions methodology. The current budget period covers 2018 – 2022. In comparison to these newly calculated budgets the area has used 88% of the budget. With one year remaining this means the 2022 emissions are likely to exceed the budget cap by about 9%. This exceedance will be carried forward into the next budget period, this is likely to make it harder it to meet the five-year carbon budgets, highlighting the need for urgent action on emissions.
Emissions by Local Authority (2021)
| Local Authority | Emissions (t CO2e) | % of Devon’s Emissions |
| East Devon | 1,013,976 | 13% |
| Exeter | 491,960 | 6% |
| Mid Devon | 879,178 | 11% |
| North Devon | 759,822 | 10% |
| South Hams | 790,668 | 10% |
| Teignbridge | 849,067 | 11% |
| Torridge | 706,820 | 9% |
| West Devon | 639,026 | 8% |
| Plymouth | 1,074,383 | 14% |
| Torbay | 466,494 | 6% |
| Devon County Council Area | 6,130,518 | 80% |
| Total Devon Emissions | 7,671,395 |
Emissions by Sector (2021)
| Sector | Emissions (t CO2e) | % of Devon’s Emissions |
| Buildings | 2,858,537 | 37 |
| Transport | 2,209,548 | 29 |
| Food, Land and Sea | 1,860,879 | 24 |
| Waste | 566,186 | 7 |
| Industrial Processes and Product Use | 176,246 | 2 |
| Total Emissions | 7,671,395 |
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 CO2e 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 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. On this basis, the 2020 consumption emissions arising overseas that are attributable to our consumption habits in Devon were 3.5 million tonnes CO2 e, which, when combined with the carbon footprint calculated above, accounts for 32% of Devon’s total GHG emissions. Consumption emissions are included in the Devon Climate Emergency commitment to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050 at the latest.Download the Data
Detailed Carbon Footprint 2021
Consumption Emissions
