Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, said:
“If we are going to tackle climate change and create a strong low carbon economy, emissions must be reduced in the UK and internationally. That’s why we are working to secure a comprehensive, long-term global climate deal that involves all the world’s major economies, that puts us on track to cut global emissions in half by 2050.
“Taking imports, exports and international transport into account, overall CO2 emissions associated with UK consumption of goods and services increased by nearly 115 mtCO2 (18%) between 1992 and 2004. During the same period, the UK has made real progress at home. By reducing the carbon intensity of our production processes and energy generation, our territorial CO2 emissions have fallen by around 5% over the same period.
“Under international climate change agreements, we only have direct influence over our domestic emissions – and they are, and will remain, the basis for these commitments – but as we accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, we must help business and individuals to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of the products and services they produce, sell or consume, wherever in the world they are made.”
The main messages from the report are:
* Taking imports, exports and international transport into account, overall CO2 emissions associated with UK consumption of goods and services increased by nearly 115 mtCO2 between 1992 and 2004.
* An increasing majority of the emissions embedded in UK imports are produced in countries outside the OECD (i.e. that region of the world that includes most of Asia).
* The increase can be explained by trends that have emerged over the last few decades:
* Some manufacturing has moved from the UK and become established in countries where manufacturing is more carbon intensive that it would be here (i.e. more CO2 is emitted per unit of production).
* At the same time as the UK (like many other nations) has shifted to importing a greater proportion of products from such countries, there has also been an increase in the overall volume and diversity of products being consumed.
Mr Benn continued:
“These findings reinforce the need for a global approach to tackling climate change, based on a carbon market that stimulates action and investment in clean energy and energy efficiency in all economies.
“It is important that developed economies show leadership, and developing economies take their fair share of action. Global trade provides massive benefits for poorer countries and developing economies. Importing less to the UK and other rich countries would have dire consequences for developing nations and it is only by economic growth that developing countries will have the resources to take action on emissions.
“All of us – government, business and individuals – have an important role to play in reducing global emissions. Government is working for a global climate deal and aiming to make the UK a leading low-carbon economy through the Climate Change Bill, the first of its kind in the world. Business needs to reduce the impact of supply chains across the world, not just in the UK. As consumers we all must reduce the environmental impact of the things we buy and do by thinking about the environmental impacts of the products and services we buy.”
Next week Defra will publish a Products and Materials Progress Report which will set out action we are taking to improve the environmental performance of products and their supply chains, and stimulate debate about how Government and business can work together.