Carbon emissions coming from the UK have seen a significant downward shift over the past two decades and now sit at a level not seen since 1890.
The decline has been credited to the migration away from the use of coal in the country’s power stations.
In 2017, CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels fell by 2.6%. This was mainly driven by a 19% decline in coal use.
This follows a 5.8% fall in 2016, which saw a record 52% drop in coal use, according to the green website Carbon Brief.
The decline was countered by a rise in emissions from the country’s vehicles where consumers are choosing to buy petrol rather than diesel cars and SUV’s rather than smaller, more efficient vehicles. Motor tax remains a contentious issue, with all cars except for electric and hydrogen vehicles grouped into the same tax band making for no incentive for choosing smaller engines and no reward for manufacturers choosing to push efficient products. However, this could change as the UK government looks to completely phase out the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
The energy industry is positive about the falling emission situation with this year showing that the UK’s total CO₂ emissions are currently 38% below 1990 levels.
Many industry commentators claim that more still needs to be done, but this is positive news as we await the governments official CO2 estimates later this month.