The UK has achieved a major achievement in becoming the first major economy to halve its emissions between 1990 and 2023.
Provisional data released by the government on Thursday (28 March) showcased a reduction of 53% between 1990 and 2023 – down 5% from 2022, as shown in last month’s official statistics. When including emissions from international aviation and shipping, this reduces to 50%.
The latest UK statistics show a significant reduction in emissions across different sectors. Emissions from the electricity supply sector decreased by 19.6%, while homes and industries recorded a drop of 7.2% and 8%, respectively.
The country’s record on renewable electricity is also reflected in the figures, with almost half of its electricity generation now coming from renewables, compared to only 7% in 2010.
National Grid ESO has maintained that Britain is on course to run in periods of zero carbon by 2025. Britain also achieved various renewable targets and records across 2023, including wind generation having provided over 21GW of electricity for the first time, a maximum zero carbon record of 87.6% made on 4 January, the lowest carbon intensity over the year at 27gCO2/kWh as well as the highest solar power input recorded on 20 April at 10.97GW.
You can find a full breakdown of 2023’s electricity mix below.
The UK government has also confirmed that the UK has reduced its territorial greenhouse gas emissions by 428 MtCO2e between 1990 and 2023 – more than the combined emissions reductions from the US, Canada, France, Italy and Japan between 1990 and 2021.
Energy Security Secretary, Claire Coutinho, said: “This latest drop in our emissions follows the UK’s achievement in becoming the first major economy to halve its polluting carbon emissions.
“We have done all this whilst growing our economy by 80% and shielding families from unnecessary costs.”
