Derby's carbon emissions
The amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by a person or organisation’s activities (the carbon footprint) is usually measured as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), to account for other greenhouse gases such as methane.
The total emissions directly generated in Derby are approximately 1,195.5 kt CO2e (from UK Government data for 2021*, published in July 2023). Only emissions that occur within the UK's borders are included, so this does not account for things like aeroplane travel outside of the UK, or for food and product production and transportation into the country from abroad.
| Source of CO2e emissions | Emissions (kt CO2e) | Percentage of overall CO2e emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Industry | 250.2 | 20.92 |
| Commercial | 59.2 | 4.95 |
| Public sector | 91.1 | 7.62 |
| Domestic | 344.7 | 28.83 |
| Transport | 371.8 | 31.09 |
| Land use or change | 2.8 | 0.23 |
| Agriculture | 7.7 | 0.64 |
| Waste management | 68.1 | 5.69 |
Transport
The use of transport has a significant impact on carbon emissions with almost one third (31.09%) of all Derby’s greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transport. These are the emissions caused by using petrol or diesel fuel in vehicles and equipment. It excludes electricity used in electric vehicles. It also excludes aviation and travel by train taking place outside the city boundary.
Homes (domestic)
Homes are the UK’s second largest source of emissions (after surface transport). When looking only at the emissions from electricity, gas, and other heating fuels (such as oil), homes are the second largest source of carbon emissions in Derby, generating 28.83% of all emissions (344.7 kt CO2e).
Industry
The third largest sector for production of emissions is industry, generating 250.2 ktCO2e in 2021, which is 20.92% of the total UK footprint.
How does Derby compare to other local cities?
The UK average carbon emissions per person is 6 tonnes per year. While Derby is significantly below this, the city is lagging behind all of its neighbours, as shown in the table below. This information is from the UK Government’s data from 2021, published in 2023.
| City | Carbon emissions per person (tCO2e) |
|---|---|
| Derby | 4.6 |
| Leicester | 3.6 |
| Sheffield | 4.1 |
| Nottingham | 4.3 |
More information
Have a look at the Centre for Cities interactive infographic showing the carbon footprint for Derby.
Info4Derby also hosts a more detailed environmental report for Derby, including analysis of carbon emissions.
Carbon budget
Climate science defines a carbon budget as the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted for a given level of global warming. So, to keep global temperature rises below 2°C (as agreed in the Paris Agreement), we need to emit fewer greenhouse gasses than our budget.
In Derby, our carbon budget from 2020 to 2100 has been estimated at 7.1 million tonnes (MtCO2). This sounds like a huge amount but at current emission rates, Derby will have used this up entirely by 2027.
To prevent ‘overspending’ on our carbon budget, the Council, residents and organisations all need to reduce their carbon footprint.
View the full report from the Tyndall Centre.