International Institute for Sustainable Development Response to DESNZ Consultation on Scope 3 Emissions Guidance

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) consultation regarding updated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidance for offshore operators. This guidance follows a British Supreme Court ruling in Finch v Surrey County Council, which mandated that planning authorities assess "downstream" greenhouse gas emissions for fossil fuel projects.

• The British Supreme Court ruled in the case of Finch v Surrey County Council that planning authorities are required to assess "downstream" greenhouse gas emissions during the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for fossil fuel projects. This specific case involved oil extraction at the Horse Hill site in Surrey, where planning permission had been granted without accounting for Scope 3 emissions resulting from the burning of the extracted oil.
• IISD proposes three specific recommendations for the updated EIA guidance: first, that the significance of emissions be assessed based on the project's need and other existing fields within science-based 1.5°C scenarios; second, that Scope 3, Category 11 emissions (emissions from consuming the oil) be reported separately; and third, that emission baselines should generally be zero, unless the EIA concerns the adaptation of an existing extraction facility.

APA

Jones,, G. M. (2025). International Institute for Sustainable Development Response to DESNZ Consultation on Scope 3 Emissions Guidance. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/iisd-response-desnz-consultation

Chicago

Jones,, Greg Muttitt,Natalie. International Institute for Sustainable Development Response to DESNZ Consultation on Scope 3 Emissions Guidance. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/iisd-response-desnz-consultation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones, |first1=Greg Muttitt,Natalie |title=International Institute for Sustainable Development Response to DESNZ Consultation on Scope 3 Emissions Guidance |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=20 January 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/iisd-response-desnz-consultation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2025international, author = {Jones,, Greg Muttitt,Natalie}, title = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development Response to DESNZ Consultation on Scope 3 Emissions Guidance}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/iisd-response-desnz-consultation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }