Comparing official UK statistics for military greenhouse gas emissions

The paper finds major discrepancies between military GHG emissions data published by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It concludes that 'headline' figures understate scope 1 and 2 emissions by 36% to 71% and that lifecycle emissions and war-fighting impacts are entirely omitted from official statistics.

• Official UK military GHG emissions data from different government bodies are inconsistent and incomplete, failing to provide a full picture of scope 1 and 2 emissions.
• Prominent 'headline' figures for military emissions are significantly lower than estimates derived from the government's own technical data, understating emissions by between 36% and 71%.
• The Ministry of Defence (MOD) annual report's main text figure is 71% lower than the SGR estimate of 2,711 ktCO2e for scopes 1 and 2 emissions in 2019.
• Data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) national statistics and the report submitted to the UNFCCC understate emissions by 36% compared to the SGR estimate.
• There are specific gaps in reporting: MOD-AR excludes 'F' gas emissions, while BEIS sources lack robust figures for stationary emissions from military bases.
• Official statistics omit lifecycle GHG emissions and the impacts of war-fighting, both of which could be very significant; previous SGR estimates suggest lifecycle emissions are about 3.7 times larger than scope 1 and 2 alone.

APA

Parkinson, S. (2022). Comparing official UK statistics for military greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/SGR-tech-paper-Comparing-official-UK-stats-for-military-GHGs-final.pdf

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart. Comparing official UK statistics for military greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2022. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/SGR-tech-paper-Comparing-official-UK-stats-for-military-GHGs-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |title=Comparing official UK statistics for military greenhouse gas emissions |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/SGR-tech-paper-Comparing-official-UK-stats-for-military-GHGs-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkinson2022comparing, author = {Parkinson, Stuart}, title = {{Comparing official UK statistics for military greenhouse gas emissions}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/SGR-tech-paper-Comparing-official-UK-stats-for-military-GHGs-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }