Emissions and Climate

The industrialised world we live in, and its unprecedented consumption of fossil fuels and other resources, produces emissions to an extent which is likely to have a serious impact on global climate. The emissions are likely to be the reason why the 1990s were the warmest decade of the last millennium - the gases we release into the atmosphere trap heat. This is why they are known as greenhouse gases.

There are six main greenhouse gases: 

• Carbon Dioxide
• Methane
• Dinitrogen (nitrous) Oxide
• HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons)
• PFCs (perfluorocarbons)
• SF₆ (sulphur hexafluoride) 

According to the Environment Agency, "Carbon dioxide accounts for the greatest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK followed by nitrous oxide and methane."

Although carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, its effects are so serious that much effort is being concentrated on the reduction of this particular polluter.

The UK is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, which is an UN agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The government recommends that all new homes should be carbon-neutral by 2016. Changes to the Building Regulations will be phased in, with carbon reductions introduced in 2010 and 2013. They have just published a draft Climate Change Bill, which requires significant reductions and legally binding five-year ‘carbon budgets'. This follows on from the 2004 Energy Bill. To find out more about current policy, companies should also note the recent Stern Review, which emphasized the economic case for cutting emissions. 

In terms of current consumption, construction is the highest-polluting industry in the UK, accounting for 10.69 MtC (million tonnes of carbon dioxide) per annum. Within domestic activity, heating homes is also the highest energy consumer, at 22.6 MtC per annum.