News story
Statistical release: 2011 UK greenhouse gas emissions
DECC today publishes provisional 2011 estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions, together with final estimates of 2010 UK greenhouse gas emissions…
DECC today publishes provisional 2011 estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions, together with final estimates of 2010 UK greenhouse gas emissions by fuel type and end-user.
2011 headline results
- In 2011, UK emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol were provisionally estimated to be 549.3 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. This was 7.0 per cent lower than the 2010 figure of 590.4 million tonnes
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for about 84 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2010, the latest year for which final results are available. In 2011, UK net emissions of carbon dioxide were provisionally estimated to be 456.3 million tonnes (Mt). This was 8.0 per cent lower than the 2010 figure of 495.8 Mt.
- Between 2010 and 2011, there were decreases in CO2 emissions from most of the main sectors. The provisional estimates show decreases in emissions of 22.0 per cent (19.1 Mt) from the residential sector, 6.1 per cent (11.8 Mt) from the energy supply sector, and 8.0 per cent (6.0 Mt) from the business sector. Emissions from the transport sector were down by 1.4 per cent (1.7 Mt) since 2010. All these sectoral breakdowns are based on the source of the emissions, as opposed to where the end-user activity occurred. Emissions related to electricity generation are therefore attributed to power stations, the source of these emissions, rather than homes and businesses where electricity is used.
- The decrease in CO2 emissions between 2010 and 2011 resulted primarily from a decrease in residential gas use, combined with a reduction in demand for electricity accompanied by lower use of gas and greater use of nuclear power for electricity generation.
Statistical press release 2012/033
29 March 2012
Published 29 March 2012