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The climate emergency 2026 Why climate change is such a concern Key climate information
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Action needed
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Home energy Bus travel Aviation emissions
Posts in 2025
Summary documents
Action needed
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Mortality and other harms from climate change
Pleas from those most affected
Young people are pleading for action: 10 key messages Greta Thunberg's "blah blah blah" speech, Milan 2021
Carbon budgets
The global carbon budget for 1.5°C runs out in 2030
Science for policy making
What should have been done by governments and wider society in response to climate change? Counting consumption rather than territorial CO2 emissions International comparisons
Failures in policy making
Climate inaction and delay: Shambles or conspiracy? All sections of society have been failing Cognitive biases, flawed reasoning, fallacies and denial dominate opinions and decision making Climate denial: literal, interpretive and implicatory
Government failures Climate science briefing for MPs by Patrick Vallence et al was seriously misleading House of Commons Library reports on climate change are seriously misleading MPs Campaigning failures Friends of the Earth: Climate denial: Court cases 2022-25 Zero Hour and the CAN Bills: Climate urgency denial UK Heath Alliance on Climate Change: Climate Denial: Correspondence Client Earth: Climate denial
Action needed
Why make climate action an overriding priority Reliable (safe system) decision making and policy making Allocation of the global carbon budget between countries UK carbon budget calculations 2025 Carbon budget calculations for the average country What would GENUINE climate leadership look like? Reduce your carbon footprint: at least 10% per year
Resources
Climate science briefing by Prof Kevin Anderson
Ensuring good policy making
Checklist for auditing consistency with the IPCC
Challenging fallacies Common climate fallacies Ethical Consumer Climate Gap reports: Correspondence
Technicalities
Emissions by sector
Cars Food Train travel
About
About Copyright information
Posts in 2023-2024:
Reasons to be very concerned
Key points on the climate emergency
Human activity has changed the climate
The climate has changed: The physics Mankind has changed the climate
Time is running out
UK carbon budget calculations 2024 The UK's share of the global carbon budget runs out in 2 years
System failures
UN Secretary-General: "Government leaders are lying" The UK Net Zero 2050 strategy would take three times the UK's share of the global carbon budget
Pleas from those most affected
Pleas from the world's poorest
Action needed
UN Secretary-General: "A grassroots movement that cannot be ignored"
Actions needed
Climate emergency ten-point action plan
1. Overall aim and priority
International commitments given Why 1.5°C?
2. Global strategy: Limit further emissions to 400 billion tonnes CO2
Global strategy: Limit further emissions to 400 billion tonnes CO2
3. The UK carbon budget
The maths of staying within the UK's carbon budget: Halve emissions every 3 years Double digit percentage annual emission cuts "Zero carbon sooner" CO2 budget report from CUSP
4. Reviewing progress against the CO2 budget
Global emissions are still rising
5. Identifying reasons for lack of progress on climate change
Why progress has been so poor: Summary The UK's Seven Principles of Public Life Decision making has not followed the science It is a system failure rather than a failure of individuals Climate urgency denial Auditing consistency with the IPCC: Summary for selected groups
5a. Governments
UK Climate Change Committee: Not consistent with the IPCC UK Government fallacy: overclaiming the reduction in UK CO2 emissions
5b. Media deficiencies
The BBC: Climate denial The Guardian: Climate denial The British Medical Journal: Climate denial
5c. Campaigning deficiencies
Friends of the Earth: Climate denial 2: Response to CCC annual report 2023 Fridays for Future: Consistent with the IPCC Climate Uncensored: Consistent with the IPCC Campaign against Climate Change: Consistent with the IPCC Ethical Consumer Magazine: Climate denial Climate Emergency UK: Climate denial Sustrans: Climate denial
6. Improve decision making
7. Actions by sector
Specific actions needed: Summary National governments Local government
False solutions to be avoided
'Offsetting' Planting trees Tree planting claims by Zurich scientists were withdrawn Electric vehicles: not an immediate solution
8. Individuals
Individuals
9. Ensuring good decision making
Challenging fallacies
UK Government
The 'Net Zero 2050' UK Government fallacies
Ethical Consumer: Inconsistency with the IPCC in the Climate Gap reports
Critique of report methodology
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience in a democracy: Q and A
Technicalities
UK average GHG emissions
Emissions by sector
"Green electricity" Health, education, etc emissions Calculator version information
Quotes
Quotes
Links
Links
Posts in 2022:
Consistency with the IPCC
Climate urgency fallacies
Action needed
Passivhaus home standards
Challenge fallacies and malpractice
Challenge fallacies, incompetence and malpractice
Ensuring good decision making
Assessing performance on the climate emergency Climate Urgency Realism or Denial score Climate urgency denial in UK Government scientists
About
Why trust this website?
Posts in 2020-2021:
Action needed
'Hydrogen power' is not the answer
Ensuring good decision making
Civil disobedience and the law Extinction Rebellion
Technicalities by sector
Basic UK energy and greenhouse gas statistics References
Posts in 2019:
The climate crisis and what to do about it
Climate change: the basics Simple solutions for the climate crisis, which should have been implemented already
Action needed
Local government: Make walking safe Organisations
Awareness raising
Leaflets, video
Reasons for optimism
Decline in UK domestic aviation Decline of domestic aviation in Sweden
Standards of administration in a democracy
Effective planning
Performance assessments
BEIS is not telling the truth on carbon emissions Transport for the North: Failing on the climate crisis Steve Rotheram: failing on the climate crisis Wirral Council's emission reduction trajectory
Emissions from home energy use Comment: It is a tragedy that emissions from home energy use are still as high as they are. Poor planning for decades has resulted in
- CO2 emissions that are still very high
- high energy bills
- fuel poverty
- associated ill health.
Technological solutions have existed for decades but have not been implemented.
Electricity
The CO2 emission factor used in the calculator is 0.309 kge / kWh, taken from BEIS (2018) [1] . This includes an allowance for the 7.8% of transmission/distribution losses on the national grid [1]. There is a more recent (2019) document [2] with a smaller factor of 0.277 kge / kWh. However, the 2018 value is preferred here because much of the 2019 reduction is due to the switch from burning coal to burning wood pellets, with the burning of wood pellet being treated as zero CO2 emission. There are strong arguments that large scale burning of wood cannot be considered to be zero carbon [3][4].The average electricity consumption is 4,800 kWh per household [5] . A smaller than average household is taken arbitrarily to be 3,000 kWh (i.e. roughly two-thirds of the average), and a larger than average household to be 7,000 kWh (i.e. roughly 50% more). A value of 2000 kWh per person per year is used for student accommodation in a hall of residence [6].(Mark Linas [7] makes the following alternative suggestions: small house: 1,650 kWh; medium house: 3,300 kWh; and mansion: 5,000kWh.) Domestic electicity use (excluding heating) is made up of [8]:
| Average domestic electricity use (excluding heating) | % |
|---|
| Cold appliances | 18% |
| Cooking appliances | 15% |
| Wet appliances | 15% |
| Lighting | 19% |
| Consumer electronics | 19% |
| Domestic ICT | 9% |
| Other | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
'Green' electricity
For selected "green" tariffs, we recommend a reduction of 25% in the CO2 emission factor - see
"Green electricity" (document 16).
Average versus marginal emission factors
Part of the electricity supply is generated from low carbon renewable sources (wind and solar power) and part from high carbon sources (fossil fuels). When someone switches on an electric light, or plugs in an electric vehicle for recharging, the additional demand on the national grid is met by burning more fossil fuel since this where the spare capacity lies.So the average emissions for electricity production is not a good guide to decisions on whether a switch should be made from burning fossil fuel to powering by electricity.Instead, a more accurate way of accounting would be to allocate the fixed low carbon electricity on a per-capita basis as zero or low emissions, and then electricity use above this would be calculated at the marginal rate. For simplicity, for the time being, the calculator uses the average emission rate for electricity. but people should be wary of claims that electric vehicles are zero carbon because in fact, in most cases, the electricity used is derived from fossil fuels.Another consequence of marginal emission accounting is that installation of solar panels or other renewable generators reduces emissions at the marginal rate, not the average rate.
Natural gas
Most modern gas meters measure gas in cubic metres. The energy contained in gas is measured in kilowatt-hours (abbreviated to kWh) and for natural gas, this is 11.2 kWh per cubic metre. Older gas meters measure gas in hundreds of cubic feet - 100 cubic feet equal 2.83 cubic metres. So the energy contained in gas measured by an older gas meter is 31.7 kWh per 100 cubic feet. The CO2 generated by burning natural gas is 0.185 kg / kWh [9] .In 2006, the total UK gas supplied was 1,047,000 GWh, but of this 79,400 GWh was 'Energy industry use' and 12,000 GWh was 'Losses' (see source [5] Table 4.1). These total inefficiencies were 91,400 GWh, i.e. 8.7%, and so the CO2 emissions need to be adjusted by this amount from 0.185 to 0.203 kg / kWh. The average UK annual gas consumption is 16,000 kWh per household [5], but per gas meter is 18,000 kWh [5] (a larger amount as not every household has a supply of natural gas). A smaller than average household is taken arbitrarily to be 12,000 kWh (two-thirds of the average gas meter), and a larger than average household to be 27,000 kWh (50% more). A value of 5000 kWh per person per year is used for student accommodation in a hall of residence [6].(Mark Linas [7] makes the following alternative suggestions: small house: 10,000 kWh; medium house: 20,500 kWh; and mansion: 28,000kWh.)
Heating oil
The factor assumed is 2.96 kg CO2 per litre of oil.The CO2 emissions from the burning of oil (from source [8]) is 2.52 kg CO2 per litre (which is equivalent to 3.15 kg CO2 per kg, and 0.245 kg per kWh) [8]. But this needs to be adjusted for the fossil fuel used in the extraction of oil and in refinery inefficiency, which together gives an inefficiency of 15% (see car sources page), giving a figure of 2.96 kg CO2 per litre.Other sources give 2.5 kg/litre (NEF) [10], and 3.0 kg/litre [7].
Coal
The emission factor assumed is 3.26 kg CO2 per kg of coal. This is the value given by DEFRA (2012) [11]
Wood
The emission factor assumed is 0.10 kg CO2 per kg of wood. This is based on the values given by DEFRA (2012) [11]. The direct emissions are here taken as zero for home wood burning on the basis that the wood is sourced sustainably, and the CO2 that is released is just what will be taken up when the trees regrow, but there is a small level of emissions due to transport and other overheads . Whether it is correct to count wood as zero emission when done on an industrial scale is a highly contentious issue according to Biofuelwatch [4].
Bottled gas
The emission factor assumed is 3.68 kg CO2 per kg of bottled gas. This is based on the values given by DEFRA (2012) [11].
Heating by hydrogen?
The UK Government is proposing that homes are heated by hydrogen, as part of its "Net Zero 2050" strategy. Hydrogen is currently maufactured from natural gas (see document 97), and so a switch from heating by natural gas would not reduce CO2 emissions significantly.
References
| [1] | BEIS (2018) 2018 Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting: Methodology paper for emission factors: final report https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/726911/2018_methodology_paper_FINAL_v01-00.pdf |
| [2] | BEIS (2019) 2019 Government Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting: Methodology paper for emission factors: final report https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829336/2019_Green-house-gas-reporting-methodology.pdf |
| [3] | Congress Says Biomass Is Carbon-Neutral, but Scientists Disagree (2018) Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/congress-says-biomass-is-carbon-neutral-but-scientists-disagree/ |
| [4] | Biofuelwatch https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/ (accessed 9.10.22) |
| [5] | BERR Energy Trends December 2007 www.berr.gov.uk/files/file43304.pdf or www.carbonindependent.org/files/file43304.pdf |
| [6] | Bezyrtzi et al (2006) Estimation of the Carbon Footprint of Student Halls of Residence in the University of Strathclyde https://pure.strath.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/240026/strathprints006691.pdf |
| [7] | Mark Lynas (2007) Carbon Counter (Collins) |
| [8] | DEFRA (2007) Act on CO2 Calculator: Public Trial Version Data, Methodology and Assumptions Paper www.defra.gov.uk or www.carbonindependent.org/files/actonco2-calc-methodology.pdf |
| [9] | DEFRA (2007) Guidelines to Defra's GHG conversion factors for company reporting www.defra.gov.uk or www.carbonindependent.org/files/conversion-factors.pdf |
| [10] | National Energy Foundation www.nef.org.uk/greencompany/co2calculator.htm (viewed 26.1.08) |
| [11] | DEFRA (2012) 2012 Guidelines to Defra / DECC's GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69554/pb13773-ghg-conversion-factors-2012.pdf |
First published: 2007 0
Last updated: 31 Dec 2025 Page No: 15 1