A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool and REAP Data for 2006

The REAP (Resources and Energy Analysis Programme) tool uses environmentally extended input-output analysis to calculate the carbon, greenhouse gas (GHG), and ecological footprints of residents across UK local authorities and regions. Unlike territorial accounting, which measures emissions where they occur, REAP allocates emissions to the consumers of products and services. The tool allows policy makers to model future scenarios by adjusting variables such as household energy demand, food consumption, and production efficiency. The 2006 data release includes a historical time series from 1992 to 2006 and introduces GHG footprints as a new indicator. The document also compares SEI's input-output methodology with the Global Footprint Network's (GFN) trade-volume and life-cycle coefficient approach, noting that while GFN estimates for the UK are typically 5% to 15% higher, the SEI approach provides more detailed supply chain analysis for manufactured goods and services.

• Consumption-based emissions accounting differs from territorial accounting by allocating emissions to the consumers of products and services rather than the original producer, revealing the drivers behind emissions rather than just their location.
• For the UK in 2006, direct household emissions—those emitted at the point of use such as burning petrol in cars or gas in boilers—accounted for just under 10 per cent of the total GHG footprint.
• The REAP tool utilizes an environmentally extended input-output model to map emissions from industrial sectors to the final products and services consumed by residents in UK local authorities and regions.
• REAP's scenario generator allows policy makers to conduct 'What If' analysis by adjusting variables including population, distance travelled, food consumption, household energy demand, and the efficiency of production sectors.
• The 2006 version of the REAP tool introduced several updates, including the addition of a greenhouse gas footprint indicator and a historical time series of ecological, carbon, and GHG emissions for UK regions from 1992 to 2006.
• SEI's input-output methodology for ecological footprints differs from the Global Footprint Network's (GFN) PLUM model; GFN estimates for the UK footprint between 1992 and 2005 were 5 per cent to 15 per cent higher than SEI's figures.
• The SEI model is argued to be more comprehensive than the GFN approach because it uses a macro-economic model of the whole economy to include the indirect impacts of traded services and manufactured goods.
• Changes in the 2006 ecological footprint results were attributed to updates in the National Footprint Accounts (NFA) 2008 equivalence factors rather than changes in SEI's underlying methodology.

APA

Dawkins, E., Roelich, K., & Owen, A. (2010). A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool and REAP Data for 2006. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/SEI_Report_REAP_Documentation_2010.pdf

Chicago

Dawkins, Elena, Katy Roelich, and Anne Owen. A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool and REAP Data for 2006. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2010. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/SEI_Report_REAP_Documentation_2010.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dawkins |first1=Elena |last2=Roelich |first2=Katy |last3=Owen |first3=Anne |title=A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool and REAP Data for 2006 |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2010 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/SEI_Report_REAP_Documentation_2010.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dawkins2010consumption, author = {Dawkins, Elena and Roelich, Katy and Owen, Anne}, title = {{A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool and REAP Data for 2006}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/SEI_Report_REAP_Documentation_2010.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }