Commentary on Sections Determination whether objectives met Section 16: Annual statement of UK emissions
80.This section places a duty on the Secretary of State to lay a statement before Parliament on UK emissions in respect of every year from 2008 onwards. Finalised figures for UK emissions, including a full inventory report, are currently produced, and submitted to the EU by the Government on 15th March each year, 14½ months after the end of calendar year in question. Subsection (10) therefore provides that the report under this section must be laid no later than the 31st March in the second year after the year to which it relates (the report for 2008 must be laid by 31st March 2010).
81.Subsections (2) and (3) specify that the statement must set out UK emissions, UK removals and net UK emissions. These terms are defined in section 29; they include emissions of all greenhouse gases (whether or not they are “targeted greenhouse gases” included in the 2050 and other targets), and the statement must show the total figures for emissions of each gas and also aggregate figures. The statement must also explain how the figures were measured or calculated, and must say whether they represent an increase or decrease when compared with the figures for the previous year. See, also, section 82, which repeals a similar reporting requirement under section 2(b) of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 (c.19).
82.Subsection (4) provides that where there has been a change in the international method of calculating emissions levels that requires the adjustment of emissions levels in earlier years in the budgetary period, then the report should set out the adjusted figures.
83.Subsection (5) requires the Secretary of State to report the levels of emissions from international aviation and international shipping in the statement, calculated in the same way as is required under international carbon reporting practice, unless those emissions are already included in the figures required by subsection (2). Emissions from international aviation and international shipping will be included in the figures reported under subsection (2) if regulations are made under section 30 which have that effect; the commentary on section 30 gives more detail on the circumstances in which that can happen.
84.Subsection (6) specifies that the report must set out the cumulative total of carbon units (as defined in section 26(1)) credited to or debited from the net UK carbon account for the year, and give details of the number and type of those carbon units. Subsection (7) provides that the report must also state the net UK carbon account for the year.
85.Subsection (8) specifies that the statement must set out the amount of net UK emissions of carbon dioxide for the year 1990, and the amount of net UK emissions for each of the other targeted greenhouse gases in their base years. The report must also state the baseline amount for greenhouse gases which are not “targeted”; the baseline amount may be equal to emissions of the gas in 1990 or another year, or average net UK emissions for a number of years (subsection (9)).
86.Subsection (10) gives the date by which the statement must be laid before Parliament and subsection (11) requires the Secretary of State to send a copy of the statement to each of the devolved administrations.