Comparison of key Scottish and UK transport emissions statistics

Comparison of key Scottish and UK transport emissions statistics

In 2018, Scottish transport accounted for 9.2% of the UK’s total transport emissions including IAS, and 10.4% excluding IAS.

Road and rail accounted for a similar proportion of the UK’s total emissions to Scotland; however, a substantially greater proportion of the UK’s transport emissions is due to aviation, and a smaller proportion is due to shipping. Figure 13 illustrates the sectoral compositions of total transport emissions for Scotland and the UK in 2018.

Figure 13: Proportions of Scotland and UK transport emissions by transport sector, 2018 (Source: NAEI).

Domestic aviation and shipping accounted for proportionately more emissions in Scotland compared to the UK as a whole, contributing 20.9% and 41.7% of the UK’s total emissions for these transport modes, respectively. Conversely, Scotland contributed proportionately less to international aviation emissions compared to the whole UK, accounting for just 4.3% of the UK’s total international aviation emissions.

Between 1990 and 2018, Scotland’s transport emissions, including IAS, increased by 0.5%. Over the same period, the UK’s transport emissions rose by 10.8%. Excluding IAS, there was a 4.9% fall in Scotland’s transport emissions between 1990 and 2018 and a 3% fall in the UK’s transport emissions.