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The document highlights a growing gap between Scotland's territorial emissions, which decreased by 13% between 1995 and 2004, and its consumer emissions, which grew by 11% in the same period. This trend indicates an increasing reliance on imported products and the offshoring of production emissions. Household consumption is the primary driver of the carbon footprint, with housing, transport, and food and drink as the largest contributors. The brief emphasizes that high-income households have significantly larger footprints and recommends that the Scottish government integrate consumer-based accounting into its national framework to ensure real emission reductions.