The UK is the first major economy to halve its emissions

The United Kingdom is the first major economy to reduce its emissions by half (50% between 1990 and 2022), while its economy grew by 79%, as new official statistics confirm. This number, issued by Department of Energy Security and Net ZeroThis contrasts with the 23% decline recorded in France and the absence of changes in the United States between 1990 and 2021.

The fact that renewables now account for more than 40% of the country’s electricity, compared to just 7% in 2010, shows that the UK is at the forefront of clean energy.

These reductions are largely due to lower emissions from power generation, thanks to abandoning the use of coal in favor of renewable energies. In 2012, coal provided nearly 40% of the UK’s electricity, but by the end of this year, that number will be zero.

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The UK has successfully met its commitment to reduce emissions, which have already been reduced by 50%. It has also reduced emissions faster than any other G7 country in the past decade. This has allowed it to take a more realistic approach to achieving its green goals, to ease the burden on working families.

But the work doesn’t stop there: since September alone, companies have announced plans for £30bn of new investment in the energy sector, including promoting green technologies and supporting the green industries of the future.

Not only has the UK cut emissions faster than any other major economy since 1990, it also has some of the most ambitious legally binding targets. It has also set more ambitious targets for 2030 than most countries and plans to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, more than the European Union, Japan or the United States.

Third carbon budget

The statistics presented also confirm that the UK has exceeded its third carbon budget, making it the third carbon budget target in a row that the UK has exceeded, as it did with its first and second carbon budgets.

Claire Coutinho“The UK is the first major economy – out of the top 20 – to halve its emissions,” the Energy Security Secretary declared. “It is a huge achievement in itself, but also because we have done it practically, growing our economy by 80% at the same time.” And protect the household economy. “We have also increased electricity generation from renewable energy from just 7% in 2010 to nearly 50% today.”

“With some of the most ambitious targets in the world, we should be proud to have exceeded our carbon budget for the third time in a row. “We will continue to meet our targets, but in a practical way that does not impose additional costs on working families,” he added.

Until 2022

The publication covers greenhouse gas emissions statistics up to 2022, and shows that total greenhouse gas emissions were 50% lower in 2022 than in 1990. Despite increases in some sectors compared to 2021 levels, with the UK continuing to recover from… COVID-19, 2022 The UK saw an overall decline in greenhouse gas emissions, down 3.5% compared to 2021, and 9.3% down compared to 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

These statistics show that the UK is making significant progress towards the net zero emissions target. Although statistics from recent years are still affected by the unprecedented economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the long-term trend shows that the UK is rapidly reducing emissions, and meeting and exceeding its carbon targets.