Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2013
This publication provides estimates of greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland for the years 1990 to 2013.
Section E. Further information and Glossary
FURTHER INFORMATION
Methodology and Source data
Full details of the methodology used to estimate Scottish greenhouse gas emissions together with further breakdowns are provided on the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory website in the publication
Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2013
Scotland's Carbon Footprint
Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions on a Consumption Basis
("Scotland's Carbon Footprint 1998-2012)
Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2012. Key Revisions since 2008
This paper provides a breakdown of the key revisions to the Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions Official Statistics publication over successive years from the 1990-2008 inventory to the latest (1990-2012) inventory.
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/Publications/ghgrevisions
Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009
This legislation outlines the requirements for percentage reductions targets for 2020 and 2050 and fixed annual targets
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/climatechange/scotlands-action/climatechangeact
Relevant Secondary Legislation associated with Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009
Climate Change (Annual Targets) (Scotland) Order 2010
This Order sets the first batch of annual emissions reduction targets, for the period 2010-2022.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2010/359/introduction/made
Climate Change (Annual Targets) (Scotland) Order 2011
This Order sets the second batch of annual emissions reduction targets, for the period 2023-2027.
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/climatechange/scotlands-action/climatechangeact/order2011
The Carbon Accounting Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2010
These Regulations establish the scheme for monitoring compliance with the annual emissions reduction targets set for 2010-2012.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2010/216/contents/made.
The Carbon Accounting Scheme (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2015
These Regulations establish the scheme for monitoring compliance with the annual emissions reduction targets set for 2013.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/189/contents/made
The Climate Change (Additional Greenhouse Gas) (Scotland) Order 2015
This legislates for the inclusion of the new greenhouse gas (nitrogen trifluoride) to be added to the basket of gases in Scotland's greenhouse gas inventory.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/197/pdfs/ssi_20150197_en.pdf
National Performance Framework Sustainability Purpose Targets
http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/purpose/sustainability
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) statistics
UK greenhouse gas inventory national system
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistics-user-guidance
Committee on Climate Change (CCC)
The CCC is an independent body established under the Climate Change Act to advise the UK Government and devolved administrations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty. The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms. In that sense, the treaty is considered legally non-binding. Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called "protocols") that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. They provide advice to the UNFCCC on the scientific evidence and developments which are used to inform National Inventories.
Meteorological Office (Met Office)
The Meteorological (Met Office) publishes mean monthly and annual air temperature figures for Scotland from 1910 to 2014.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/datasets/Tmean/date/Scotland.txt
EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)
Further information can be found in the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) website.
https://www.gov.uk/participating-in-the-eu-ets
Scottish Government Methodology Paper: Determining the Scottish EU ETS cap for 2013
This documents the calculations which determine the 'specified amounts' for emissions from (i) fixed installations located in Scotland and covered by the EU emissions trading system (EU-ETS) and (ii) aviation covered by the EU-ETS.
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/Publications/EUETScap2013
Scottish Energy Statistics
The Scottish Government's Energy in Scotland 2015 statistics compendium publication presents statistics on the energy sector in Scotland. It presents statistics for the following topics
- An overview of the energy sector in Scotland - including an Energy Balance for Scotland
- Energy Consumption
- Electricity
- Heat
- Transport
- Oil and Gas
- Energy Prices
- Climate Change
- Low Carbon Economy
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Energy/EIS2015
Scottish Transport Statistics
These statistics are produced by Transport Scotland on an annual basis, as part of a compendium publication on a wide range of transport issues.
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/statistics/scottish-transport-statistics-all-editions
Table E1. Mapping between Scottish Government sectors, National Communication sectors, International Panel for Climate Change sectors and source
Note that the inventory data can be mapped in a variety of different ways. Further mappings of the 1990-2013 inventory can be found in the attached Excel tables and Pivot Table.
| SG Sector |
NC Category |
IPCC Sector |
Source Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Supply |
Energy Supply |
1A1ai Public Electricity & Heat Production |
Miscellaneous industrial/commercial combustion |
| Power stations |
|||
| Public sector combustion |
|||
| 1A1b Petroleum Refining |
Refineries - combustion |
||
| 1A1ci Manufacture of solid fuels |
Coke production |
||
| Solid smokeless fuel production |
|||
| 1A1cii Oil and gas extraction |
Upstream Gas Production - fuel combustion |
||
| Upstream oil and gas production - combustion at gas separation plant |
|||
| Upstream Oil Production - fuel combustion |
|||
| 1A1ciii Other energy industries |
Collieries - combustion |
||
| Gas production |
|||
| Nuclear fuel production |
|||
| Town gas manufacture |
|||
| 1B1ai Underground mines:Abandoned |
Closed Coal Mines |
||
| 1B1ai Underground mines:Mining activities |
Deep-mined coal |
||
| 1B1ai Underground mines:Post-mining activities |
Coal storage and transport |
||
| 1B1aii Surface mines:Mining activities |
Open-cast coal |
||
| 1B1b Solid Fuel Transformation |
Charcoal production |
||
| Coke production |
|||
| Iron and steel - flaring |
|||
| Solid smokeless fuel production |
|||
| 1B2a1 Oil exploration |
Upstream Oil Production - Offshore Well Testing |
||
| 1B2a2 Oil production |
Petroleum processes |
||
| Upstream Oil Production - process emissions |
|||
| 1B2a3 Oil transport |
Upstream Oil Production - Offshore Oil Loading |
||
| Upstream Oil Production - Onshore Oil Loading |
|||
| 1B2a4 Oil refining/storage |
Upstream Oil Production - Oil terminal storage |
||
| 1B2b1 Gas exploration |
Upstream Gas Production - Offshore Well Testing |
||
| 1B2b3 Gas processing |
Upstream Gas Production - process emissions |
||
| 1B2b4 Gas transmission and storage |
Gas leakage |
||
| Upstream Gas Production - Gas terminal storage |
|||
| 1B2b5 Gas distribution |
Gas leakage |
||
| 1B2c Flaring Gas |
Upstream Gas Production - flaring |
||
| 1B2c Flaring Oil |
Upstream Oil Production - flaring |
||
| 1B2c Venting Gas |
Upstream Gas Production - venting |
||
| 1B2c Venting Oil |
Upstream Oil Production - venting |
||
| 2A4d Other process uses of carbonates:other |
Power stations - FGD |
||
| Transport (excluding international aviation and shipping) |
Transport |
1A3a Domestic aviation |
Aircraft - domestic cruise |
| Aircraft - domestic take off and landing |
|||
| 1A3bi Cars |
Road transport - cars - cold start |
||
| Road transport - cars - motorway driving |
|||
| Road transport - cars - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - cars - urban driving |
|||
| 1A3bii Light duty trucks |
Road transport - LGVs - cold start |
||
| Road transport - LGVs - motorway driving |
|||
| Road transport - LGVs - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - LGVs - urban driving |
|||
| 1A3biii Heavy duty trucks and buses |
Road transport - buses and coaches - motorway driving |
||
| Road transport - buses and coaches - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - buses and coaches - urban driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV articulated - motorway driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV articulated - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV articulated - urban driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV rigid - motorway driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV rigid - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - HGV rigid - urban driving |
|||
| 1A3biv Motorcycles |
Road transport - mopeds (<50cc 2st) - urban driving |
||
| Road transport - motorcycle (>50cc 2st) - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - motorcycle (>50cc 2st) - urban driving |
|||
| Road transport - motorcycle (>50cc 4st) - motorway driving |
|||
| Road transport - motorcycle (>50cc 4st) - rural driving |
|||
| Road transport - motorcycle (>50cc 4st) - urban driving |
|||
| 1A3bv Other road transport |
Road transport - all vehicles LPG use |
||
| 1A3c Railways |
Rail - coal |
||
| Railways - freight |
|||
| Railways - intercity |
|||
| Railways - regional |
|||
| 1A3d Domestic navigation |
Inland goods-carrying vessels |
||
| Motorboats / workboats (e.g. canal boats, dredgers, service boats, tourist boats, river boats) |
|||
| Personal watercraft e.g. jet ski |
|||
| Sailing boats with auxiliary engines |
|||
| Shipping - coastal |
|||
| 1A3eii Other Transportation |
Aircraft - support vehicles |
||
| 1A4ai Commercial/Institutional |
Railways - stationary combustion |
||
| 1A4ciii Fishing |
Fishing vessels |
||
| 1A5b Other: Mobile |
Aircraft - military |
||
| Shipping - naval |
|||
| 2D1 Lubricant Use |
Marine engines |
||
| Road vehicle engines |
|||
| 2D3 Non-energy products from fuels and solvent use: Other |
Road transport - urea |
||
| International Aviation and Shipping |
International Aviation and Shipping |
Aviation Bunkers |
Aircraft - international cruise |
| Aircraft - international take off and landing |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and CDs - Cruise |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and CDs - TOL |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and Gibraltar - Cruise |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and Gibraltar - TOL |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and other Ots (excl Gib.) - Cruise |
|||
| Aircraft between UK and other OTs (excl Gib.) - TOL |
|||
| Marine Bunkers |
Shipping - international IPCC definition |
||
| Shipping between UK and Gibraltar |
|||
| Shipping between UK and OTs (excl. Gib) |
|||
| Agriculture and Related Land Use |
Agriculture |
1A4ci Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing: Stationary |
Agriculture - stationary combustion |
| Miscellaneous industrial/commercial combustion |
|||
| 1A4cii Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing: Off-road |
Agriculture - mobile machinery |
||
| 2D1 Lubricant Use |
Agricultural engines |
||
| 3A1 Enteric Fermentation dairy cattle |
Agriculture livestock - dairy cattle enteric |
||
| 3A1 Enteric Fermentation non-dairy cattle |
Agriculture livestock - other cattle enteric |
||
| 3A2 Enteric Fermentation sheep |
Agriculture livestock - sheep enteric |
||
| 3A3 Enteric Fermentation swine |
Agriculture livestock - pigs enteric |
||
| 3A4 Enteric Fermentation other:deer |
Agriculture livestock - deer enteric |
||
| 3A4 Enteric Fermentation other:goats |
Agriculture livestock - goats enteric |
||
| 3A4 Enteric Fermentation other:horses |
Agriculture livestock - horses enteric |
||
| 3B1 Manure Management dairy cattle |
Agriculture livestock - dairy cattle wastes |
||
| 3B1 Manure Management non-dairy cattle |
Agriculture livestock - other cattle wastes |
||
| 3B2 Manure Management sheep |
Agriculture livestock - sheep goats and deer wastes |
||
| 3B3 Manure Management swine |
Agriculture livestock - pigs wastes |
||
| 3B4 Manure Management other:deer |
Agriculture livestock - deer wastes |
||
| 3B4 Manure Management other:goats |
Agriculture livestock - goats wastes |
||
| 3B4 Manure Management other:horses |
Agriculture livestock - horses wastes |
||
| 3B4 Manure Management other: poultry |
Agriculture livestock - all poultry wastes |
||
| Agriculture livestock - broilers wastes |
|||
| Agriculture livestock - laying hens wastes |
|||
| Agriculture livestock - other poultry wastes |
|||
| 3B4 Other |
Agriculture livestock - manure leaching (indirect) |
||
| Agriculture livestock - manure liquid systems (indirect) |
|||
| Agriculture livestock - manure other (indirect) |
|||
| Agriculture livestock - manure solid storage and dry lot (indirect) |
|||
| 3D Agricultural Soils |
Agricultural soils |
||
| 3D1 Agricultural soils-Mineralization/Immobilization |
Agricultural soils - Mineralization/Immobilization Associated with change in Soil Organic Matter |
||
| 3F Field burning |
Field burning |
||
| 3G1 Liming - limestone |
Liming |
||
| 3G2 Liming - dolomite |
Liming |
||
| 3H Urea application |
Agriculture - application of urea |
||
| Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry |
4B Cropland (Biomass Burning - controlled) |
Cropland - Biomass Burning\Controlled Burning |
|
| 4B Cropland (Biomass Burning - wildfires) |
Cropland - Biomass Burning\Wildfires |
||
| 4B Cropland Drainage rewetting other management of organic and mineral soils |
Cropland - Drainage and rewetting and other management of organic and mineral soils |
||
| 4B1 Cropland Remaining Cropland |
Cropland remaining Cropland |
||
| 4B2 Cropland -Direct N2O emission from N Mineralization/Immobilization |
Direct N2O Emissions from N Mineralization/Immobilisation |
||
| 4B2 Land Converted to Cropland |
Land converted to Cropland |
||
| 4C Grassland (Biomass burning - controlled) |
Grassland - Biomass Burning\Controlled Burning |
||
| 4C Grassland (Biomass Burning - wildfires) |
Grassland - Biomass Burning\Wildfires |
||
| 4C Grassland Drainage rewetting other management of organic and mineral soils |
Grassland - Drainage and rewetting and other management of organic and mineral soils |
||
| 4C Grassland-Direct N2O emission from N Mineralization/Immobilization |
Grassland - Direct N2O Emissions from N Mineralization/Immobilisation |
||
| 4C1 Grassland Remaining Grassland |
Grassland remaining Grassland |
||
| 4C2 Land converted to grassland |
Land converted to Grassland |
||
| 4D1 Wetlands remaining wetlands |
Wetlands remaining Wetland |
||
| 4D2 Land converted to wetlands |
Land converted to Wetland |
||
| 4D2 Non-CO2 emissions from drainage of soils and wetlands |
Non-CO2 emissions from drainage of soils and wetlands |
||
| Business and Industrial Process |
Business |
1A2a Iron and steel |
Blast furnaces |
| Iron and steel - combustion plant |
|||
| 1A2b Non-Ferrous Metals |
Autogeneration - exported to grid |
||
| Autogenerators |
|||
| Non-Ferrous Metal (combustion) |
|||
| 1A2c Chemicals |
Chemicals (combustion) |
||
| Other industrial combustion |
|||
| 1A2d Pulp Paper Print |
Pulp, Paper and Print (combustion) |
||
| 1A2e food processing beverages and tobacco |
Food & drink, tobacco (combustion) |
||
| 1A2f Non-metallic minerals |
Cement production - combustion |
||
| Lime production - non decarbonising |
|||
| 1A2gvii Off-road vehicles and other machinery |
Industrial off-road mobile machinery |
||
| 1A2gviii Other manufacturing industries and construction |
Autogeneration - exported to grid |
||
| Autogenerators |
|||
| Other industrial combustion |
|||
| 1A4ai Commercial/Institutional |
Miscellaneous industrial/commercial combustion |
||
| 2B1 Chemical Industry:Ammonia production |
Ammonia production - combustion |
||
| 2B8g Petrochemical and carbon black production:Other |
Chemicals (combustion) |
||
| 2D1 Lubricant Use |
Industrial engines |
||
| Other industrial combustion |
|||
| 2D4 Other NEU |
Non Energy Use: petroleum coke |
||
| 2E1 Integrated circuit or semiconductor |
Electronics - HFC |
||
| Electronics - NF3 |
|||
| 2F1a Commercial refrigeration |
Commercial Refrigeration |
||
| 2F1b Domestic refrigeration |
Domestic Refrigeration |
||
| 2F1c Industrial refrigeration |
Industrial Refrigeration |
||
| 2F1d Transport refrigeration |
Refrigerated Transport |
||
| 2F1e Mobile air conditioning |
Mobile Air Conditioning |
||
| 2F1f Stationary air conditioning |
Stationary Air Conditioning |
||
| 2F2a Closed foam blowing agents |
Foams |
||
| Foams HFCs for the 2006 GLs |
|||
| 2F2b Open foam blowing agents |
One Component Foams |
||
| 2F3 Fire Protection |
Firefighting |
||
| 2F5 Solvents |
Precision cleaning - HFC |
||
| 2F6b Other Applications:Contained-Refrigerant containers |
Refrigerant containers |
||
| 2G1 Electrical equipment |
Electrical insulation |
||
| 2G2 Military applications |
AWACS |
||
| 2G2 Particle accelerators |
Particle accelerators |
||
| 2G2e Electronics and shoes |
Other F-Gas Use |
||
| 2G2e Tracer gas |
SF6 used as a tracer gas |
||
| 2G3a Medical aplications |
N2O use as an anaesthetic |
||
| 5C2.2b Non-biogenic:Other |
Accidental fires - other buildings |
||
| Industrial Process |
2A1 Cement Production |
Cement - decarbonising |
|
| 2A2 Lime Production |
Lime production - decarbonising |
||
| 2A3 Glass production |
Glass - general |
||
| 2A4a Other process uses of carbonates:ceramics |
Brick manufacture - all types |
||
| Brick manufacture - Fletton |
|||
| 2B1 Ammonia Production |
Ammonia production - feedstock use of gas |
||
| 2B10 Chemical Industry:Other |
Chemical industry - general |
||
| 2B2 Nitric Acid Production |
Nitric acid production |
||
| 2B3 Adipic Acid Production |
Adipic acid production |
||
| 2B6 Titanium dioxide production |
Chemical industry - titanium dioxide |
||
| 2B7 Soda Ash Production |
Chemical industry - soda ash |
||
| 2B8a Methanol production |
Chemical industry - methanol |
||
| 2B8b Ethylene Production |
Chemical industry - ethylene |
||
| 2B8c Ethylene Dichloride and Vinyl Chloride Monomer |
Chemical Industry - ethylene dichloride |
||
| 2B8d Ethylene Oxide |
Chemical industry - ethylene oxide |
||
| 2B8e Acrylonitrile |
Chemical industry - acrylonitrile |
||
| 2B8f Carbon black production |
Chemical industry - carbon black |
||
| 2B9a1 Fluorchemical production:By-product emissions |
Halocarbons production - by-product |
||
| 2B9b3 Fluorchemical production:Fugitive emissions |
Halocarbons production - fugitive |
||
| 2C1a Steel |
Basic oxygen furnaces |
||
| Electric arc furnaces |
|||
| Ladle arc furnaces |
|||
| 2C1b Pig iron |
Iron and steel - flaring |
||
| 2C1d Sinter |
Sinter production |
||
| 2C3 Aluminium Production |
Primary aluminium production - general |
||
| Primary aluminium production - PFC emissions |
|||
| 2C4 Magnesium production |
Magnesium cover gas |
||
| 2C6 Zinc Production |
Non-ferrous metal processes |
||
| 2D3 Non-energy products from fuels and solvent use:Solvent Use |
Solvent use |
||
| Residential |
Residential |
1A4bi Residential stationary |
Domestic combustion |
| 1A4bii Residential:Off-road |
House and garden machinery |
||
| 2D2 Non-energy products from fuels and solvent use:Paraffin wax use |
Non-aerosol products - household products |
||
| 2F4a Metered dose inhalers |
Metered dose inhalers |
||
| 2F4b Aerosols:Other |
aerosols - halocarbons |
||
| 5B1a composting municipal solid waste |
Composting (household) |
||
| 5C2.2b Non-biogenic:Other |
Accidental fires - dwellings |
||
| 5C2.2b Non-biogenic:Other Accidental fires (vehicles) |
Accidental fires - vehicles |
||
| Waste Management |
Waste Management |
5A1a Managed Waste Disposal sites anaerobic |
Landfill |
| 5B1a composting municipal solid waste |
Total composting (non-household) |
||
| 5B2a Anaerobic digestion municipal solid waste |
Anaerobic Digestion (other) |
||
| Mechanical Biological Treatment |
|||
| 5C1.1b Biogenic:Sewage sludge |
Incineration - sewage sludge |
||
| 5C1.2a Non-biogenic:municipal solid waste |
Incineration |
||
| 5C1.2b Non-biogenic:Clinical waste |
Incineration - clinical waste |
||
| 5C1.2b Non-biogenic:Other Chemical waste |
Incineration - chemical waste |
||
| 5D1 Domestic wastewater treatment |
Sewage sludge decomposistion in private systems |
||
| Sewage sludge decomposition |
|||
| 5D2 Industrial wastewater treatment |
Industrial Waste Water Treatment |
||
| Development |
Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry |
4E Settlements (Biomass burning - controlled) |
Settlements - Biomass Burning\Controlled Burning |
| 4E Settlements-Direct N2O emission from N fertilisation |
Settlements - Direct N2O Emissions from N Mineralization/Immobilisation |
||
| 4E1 Settlements remaining settlements |
Settlements remaining Settlements |
||
| 4E2 Land converted to settlements |
Land converted to Settlements |
||
| Public Sector Buildings |
Public |
1A4ai Commercial/Institutional |
Public sector combustion |
| Forestry |
Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry |
4A Forest Land (Biomass Burning - wildfires) |
Forest Land - Biomass Burning\Wildfires |
| 4A Forest Land (organic soils drainage) |
Forest Land - Drainage of Organic Soils |
||
| 4A1 Forest Land Remaining Forest Land |
Forest Land remaining Forest Land |
||
| 4A2 Forest Land-Direct N2O emission from N fertilisation |
Direct N2O emission from N fertilisation of forest land |
||
| 4A2 Land Converted to Forest Land |
Land converted to Forest Land |
||
| 4G Harvested wood products |
Harvested Wood Products |
GLOSSARY
Adjusted emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions that have taken into account purchases/sales through the EU ETS. Adjusted emissions may be higher or lower than actual emitted emissions depending on the quantity of purchases or sales. Scottish Government emission reduction targets are assessed using adjusted emissions.
Afforestation
The act or process of establishing a forest on land that has not been forested in recent history.
Baseline Period
Emissions reduction is based on a Baseline Period. For the greenhouse gases CO2, CH4 and N2O, 1990 was specified as the baseline. 1995 is the baseline for emissions of the F-gases.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases responsible for climate change. It is mostly emitted through the oxidation of carbon in fossil fuels, e.g. burning coal.
Carbon sink
A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores CO2 for an indefinite period.
Climate change
Climate change is a long-term change in the earth's climate. This can be accelerated by human activity, e.g. by releasing CO2 into the atmosphere.
Deforestation
The removal of forest stands by cutting and burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or the harvesting of trees for building materials or fuel.
EU ETS
The European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the largest multi-national emissions trading system in the world. Launched in 2005, the EU ETS is an EU policy aimed at mitigating climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions from industry sectors and aviation. Operating across Europe the system is mandatory for large energy-intensive industrial installations. Compared with 2005 levels, the EU ETS aims to deliver a 21 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020 and a 43 per cent reduction by 2030. Participants include more than 11,000 heavy energy-using installations in power generation, the manufacturing industry and airlines across 31 countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Over 11,000 installations throughout the EU are covered by the system, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the EU's total CO2 emissions.
The EU ETS began in 2005. Phase III started in January 2013 and runs to December 2020.
Fluorinated gases (F-gases)
F-gases are the generic name given to HFCs, PFCs, SF6 and NF3. These have been used as replacements for CFCs, which are ozone depleting substances that have been banned under the Montreal Protocol. They have very high global warming potentials.
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is the process by which heat from the sun is trapped within the Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases. This process is also known as radiative forcing.
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas which absorbs infrared radiation emitted from the surface of the Earth, helping to retain a portion of that energy in the atmosphere as heat.
Global warming potential (GWP)
GWP is a measure of how much a greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming. It is a relative scale which compares the potency of each gas to CO2.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
HFCs are produced commercially as a substitute for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). HFCs are largely used in refrigeration and insulating foam. Their Global Warming Potentials range from 12 to 14,800 times that of CO2, depending on the gas type.
Inventory
The inventory contains greenhouse gas emissions estimates for Scotland and the UK. The Inventory is a disaggregation of the UK Inventory, which is based on five major sectors: energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land-use, land-use change and forestry, and waste.
IPCCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. They provide advice to the UNFCCC on the scientific evidence and developments which are used to inform National Inventories.
LULUCF
Estimates of emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) depend critically on assumptions made on the rate of loss or gain of carbon in Scotland's carbon rich soils. In Scotland, LULUCF activities, taken as a whole, acts as a sink, absorbing more greenhouse gas emissions than it releases.
Methane (CH4)
Methane is a greenhouse gas that is around 25 times more potent in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 100-year time horizon. Main sources include agriculture and landfill.
National Communication (NC) Sectors
The UK NC sectors are agreed groupings of the more detailed sectors reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by the UK. This report uses Scottish Government sectors. Mapping of these to NC sectors and IPCC sectors can be seen in Section E.
Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
Nitrogen trifluoride is a greenhouse gas that is around 17,200 times more potent in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 100-year time horizon. The main source of nitrogen trifluoride is in the making of semiconductors.
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is around 298 times more potent in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 100-year time horizon. The main source is agricultural soil.
Other Petroleum Gas (OPG)
This consists mainly of ethane plus some other hydrocarbons, excluding butane and propane.
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
PFCs are a by-product of aluminium smelting. They are also the replacement for CFCs in manufacturing semiconductors. The Global Warming Potentials of PFCs ranges from 7,390 - 17,340 times that of CO2 over a 100-year time horizon.
Radiative forcing
An externally imposed perturbation in the radiative energy budget of the Earth's atmosphere. Such a perturbation can be brought about by changes in the concentrations of radiatively active species (e.g. greenhouse gases), changes in the solar irradiance incident upon the planet, or other changes that affect the radiative energy absorbed by the surface (e.g. changes in surface reflection properties).
Sequestration
The process by which carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Source (UNFCCC definition)
Any process or activity which releases a greenhouse gas or a precursor greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
It is largely used in heavy industry to insulate high-voltage equipment and to assist in the manufacturing of cable-cooling systems. Its global warming potential is 22,800 times that of CO2 over a 100-year time horizon.
UNFCCC
In 1992, the UNFCCC was adopted as the basis for a global response to climate change. The ultimate objective of the Convention is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
Contact
Email: Martin Macfie
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