Research Firm Reveals Top UK GHG Emitters, Issues Investor Warning - FT

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"The UK's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are revealed this week, with a warning to shareholders that they should take the potential cost of climate change into account when investing. Shell, the oil producer, is responsible for 23 per cent of emissions of the FTSE 100, while BP, its rival, and Scottish Power, the electricity and gas supplier, are joint second with 17 per cent of the total each. Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steel producer, accounts for 6 per cent, and BHP Billiton, the mining group, 4 per cent.

The UK's biggest 100 companies contributed 1.6 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Carbon 100 report from Henderson Global Investors, to be published this week. The UK was responsible for 2.2 per cent but FTSE 100 companies have a disproportionately large effect because of the global nature of many of their operations.

Many of these companies also have a wider effect because of the nature of their business: the products sold by the UK's five biggest oil and mining companies accounted for more than 10 per cent of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.

The report, which uses studies from Trucost, an environmental research company, warned investors to take note as governments were increasingly regulating carbon dioxide emissions. "A carbon-constrained world could pose significant challenges for investors in a number of UK companies." Limits on emissions could affect demand for many products, as well as imposing costs on their producers."

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http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9c708e74-dba7-11d9-913a-00000e2511c8.html