Greenhouse gas emissions

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​International agreements to cut emissions

Jersey is a signatory, through the UK, to the Paris Agreement and the International Convention on Climate Change. Jersey has committed to an ambitious emissions reduction trajectory. This means reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 68% by 2030, 78% by 2035 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. These targets are measured against our 1990 baseline. 

Jersey's greenhouse gas emission statistics

We have historical greenhouse gas emissions data going back to 1990. The data presents emissions by their ​source. For example, those from the energy, agriculture and waste sectors.

This dataset is publicly available via open data.

Source: Government of Jersey, download the data

In 2024, Jersey emitted 342,589 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). This is roughly 3.3 tCO₂e per person. 

Between 1990 and 2024, Jersey's emissions decreased by almost 49%. This reduction is largely due to us importing most of our electricity from France.

The energy sector

Almost 87% of Jersey's emissions come from the energy sector. 

This sector is made up of the following sub-sectors:

• ​agricultural mobile machinery
• commercial and industrial
• power generation
• residential
• road transport
  
• shipping and aviation
  

Road transport sector emissions account for nearly 27% of total emissions in the 2024 inventory. Car fuel use was the biggest source of c​arb​on dioxide emissions, accounting for 25% of all emissions. Between 1990 and 2024, emissions in the road transport sector decreased by 31%.

​The elec​​​tric vehicle pu​r​chase incentive closed in 2024 following full allocation of the allocated budget for this scheme. The electric vehicle charger incentive remains available​.

Emissions from the residential sector accounted for 18% of total emissions in the 2024 inventory. There has been a 47% decrease in residential emissions since 1990. Almost all residential emissions are from the burning of fuels in homes, mainly from heating and c​ooking.

Switching from fossil fuel powered heating systems to low carbon alternatives has a significant impact on emissions. Government funding is available for this through the low carbon heating incentive.​

Other sectors

​​The industrial processes and product use (IPPU) sector accounted for just under 4% of our 2024 emissions. This sector includes emissions of greenhouse gases from refrigeration, air conditioning, medical applications and products such as squirty cream.

Between 2023 and 2024 emissions from this sector fell by almost 4%.

Emissions from the agriculture sector account for almost 6% of Jersey's 2024 inventory and have reduced by almost 31% from 1990 to 2024. This reduction is largely due to the decline in cattle numbers.

The largest agricultural emissions source in 2024 was from raising animals for milk and meat. 

​​The land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector includes activities which produce and absorb emissions. In 2024, these activities were almost in balance with the sector emitting just 0.1% of the inventory total.

Jersey’s waste sector includes emissions from wastewater treatment, municipal composting and the clinical incinerator. Waste emissions accounted for nearly 4% of Jersey’s inventory in 2024 and declined by less than 1% between 2023 and 2024.​

Emissions from the energy recovery facility at La Collette are reported in the energy sub-sector for power generation. Power generation accounted for 10.4% of total emissions in the 2024 inventory. All emissions in this sector are due to the generation of public electricity. 

Latest greenhouse gas inventory

The most recent emissions data is from 2024. Due to the complexity of this data and the need for rigorous analysis, it is typical across jurisdictions for emissions data to be two years behind.

Improvements to the methodology are made annually based on international best practice. Any updates are applied to the existing data for all previous years, back to our 1990 baseline.

Guide to the Jersey Greenhouse Gas Inventory ​1990 to 2024​

The most recent emissions factors are available, including: 

• emissions factors for all fuels relevant to Jersey
  
• unit conversion factors

​Jersey greenhouse ga​s e​​mission factors​​

Lowering greenhouse gas emissions

Jersey has made a commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. Actions to help us to do this are outlined in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap. 

Although not part of our international reporting, we also consider Jersey's indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

Comparing greenhouse gases

​​Jersey's inventory reports emissions of five greenhouse gases. Some greenhouse gases are more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than others, with some remaining in the atmosphere for longer periods of time.

We measure these differences by applying their global warming potential. This is a measure of how effective a greenhouse gas is at trapping heat, and the length of time it remains in the atmosphere, compared to carbon dioxide (CO₂).

For example, methane has a global warming potential of 28. This means 1 tonne of methane has the global warming potential of 28 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The unit tCO₂e means tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

This is a way to count how much a greenhouse gas, such as​ methane (CH4) or nitrous oxide (N₂O), warms the Earth. We use carbon dioxide as a common unit. So instead of listing all the gases, we just say how much CO₂ they’re equal to. It makes comparing them easier.

​How to use the greenhouse gas inventory

​With the inventor​​y data, you can:

With the inventory da​ta, you can’t:​