EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The Scottish government said Thursday its carbon footprint fell by 19 percent to approximately 82 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent since its 2007 peak.
The government published a 10-page report highlighting its progress on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Scotland's carbon footprint rose from in 1998 to a peak in 2007 at 101.1 MtCO2e and since then has fallen 19 per cent to 82.2 MtCO2e, with a notably large dip occurring in 2009 before a slight rise in 2010," the report said.
The country's gross domestic product contracted in 2008 during the onset of the global economic crisis but returned to growth by 2009. The government said GDP grew 0.3 percent last year.
Scotland has one of the most ambitious renewable energy plans in the world. It aims to generate all of its domestic electricity needs from renewable resources by 2020.
The government said greenhouse gas emissions associated with imported goods and services made up nearly 45 percent of the country's carbon footprint in 1998. That peaked at 52 percent in 2007 but has since declined to 46 percents as of 2010.
