UK greenhouse gas emissions fell nearly a tenth in 2020
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell nearly 10 per cent in 2020 as the pandemic saw energy usage from transport use tumble.
Overall emissions fell 8.9 per cent over the course of the year, one of the largest falls on record. It is the eighth straight year in which total emissions have fallen.
As a result, the UK has now cut emissions by 48.8 per cent since 1990, one of the highest proportions in the world.
However, given the extraordinary nature of 2020, it remains to be see whether the drop is a one-off blip or not.
Recent data from the International Energy Agency showed that global emissions were actually up 2.0 per cent year-on-year in December, having tumbled earlier in the year.
In a statement, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said:
“In 2020 the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting restrictions brought in across
the UK had a major impact on various aspects of society and the economy and this has had a
significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions in the UK over this period.”
The provisional figures show that transport emissions fell 19.6 per cent over the course of the year as people took to home working en masse.
Business energy emissions also dropped 8.7 per cent as offices were left abandoned for months at a time.
At the same time, residential emissions rose 1.8 per cent as people found themselves confined to their homes.
The fall comes as the UK turns its attention to achieving its goal of reducing emissions to net zero by 2050.