This is the United Kingdom’s National Inventory Report (NIR) submitted in 2023 to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It contains national
greenhouse gas emission estimates for the period 1990-2021, and descriptions of the methods
used to produce the estimates.
The greenhouse gas inventory (GHGI) is based on the same datasets used by the UK in the
National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for reporting atmospheric emissions under
other international agreements. The GHGI is therefore consistent with these other air
emissions inventories where they overlap.
The greenhouse gas inventory is compiled on behalf of the UK Department for Energy Security
and Net Zero (DESNZ) for the Science and Innovation for Climate and Energy (SICE)
Directorate, by Ricardo Energy & Environment. We acknowledge the positive support and
advice from DESNZ throughout the work, and we are grateful for the help of all those who have
contributed to this NIR. A list of the contributors can be found in Chapter 18.
The GHGI is compiled according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
2006 Guidelines (IPCC, 2006). Each year the inventory is updated to include the latest data
available. Improvements to the methodology are backdated as necessary to ensure a
consistent time series. Methodological changes are made to take account of new data sources,
or new guidance from IPCC, and new research, sponsored by DESNZ or otherwise
