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UK emissions totaled 512 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022
This is 7% below the pre-coronavirus pandemic level of 550 Mt CO2e in 2019.
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According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are now lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.
Emissions of planet-warming gases amounted to 512 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) in 2022.
This is seven percent below the pre-coronavirus pandemic level of 550 Mt CO2e in 2019.
But the statistics highlight that there is still a long way to go to reach the government’s legally binding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The provisional statistics published by the ONS are compiled according to the residency criterion.
UK emissions amounted to 512 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) in 2022, seven per cent below the pre-coronavirus pandemic level of 550 Mt CO2e in 2019.
This means that greenhouse gas emissions are counted in relation to UK residents and UK-registered companies, regardless of whether they are located in the UK or abroad.
Data relating to overseas visitors and overseas companies in the UK is excluded.
The figures show that between 2021 and 2022 greenhouse gases increased by two percent, after increasing by three percent in 2021.
The pandemic – and the lockdowns imposed in the United Kingdom – reduced emissions, particularly from the transport sector.
Since lockdowns were lifted, emissions from the transport sector have soared by 34 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.
During the pandemic, transportation emissions fell by 28 percent in 2020 and further decreased by nine percent in 2021.
Consumer spending remains the largest contributor to UK emissions, accounting for 25 per cent of total UK GHG emissions in 2022, and much of this will come from heating homes.
The energy sector followed with 16 percent.
Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased considerably since 1990: about 67 percent.
The pandemic (and lockdowns imposed in the UK) reduced emissions, particularly from the transport sector (file image)
This is mainly because the electricity sector has moved from coal energy to gas and renewable energy, which produces less CO2.
Diane Crowe, Chief Sustainability Officer at Reconomy, a waste and resources company, commented: ‘Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical to achieving the nation’s net zero targets.
‘While it may seem worrying to see two annual increases in recorded emissions, this must be taken in the context of the huge impact of the pandemic on reducing emissions when economic activity has almost stopped.
‘In fact, emissions are 7 percent lower than before the pandemic, as the nation, businesses and households continue to take proactive steps to reduce pollution and transition to greener, lower forms of energy. in emissions.
“We are making progress, but there is still a long way to go.”