Britain's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 5.4% in 2023: Gov't

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The UK's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4% last year, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said Thursday.

In 2023, net territorial greenhouse gas emissions in the UK are provisionally estimated to have been 384.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), a decrease of 5.4% from the 2022 figure of 406.2 MtCO2e.

Separately, the department said that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions also decreased by 6.6% to 302.8 million tons, while total greenhouse gas emissions were 52.7% lower than they were in 1990.

"This decrease in 2023 is primarily due to a reduction in gas demand from the electricity supply and buildings and product uses sectors," it added.

Greenhouse gas from electricity generation fell by 19.6% last year, primarily due to higher electricity imports from France, unlike 2022, when the UK had higher than usual exports as well as UK electricity demand continuing to decline.

"This meant less gas was needed to meet the remaining electricity demand," it said.

It also noted that industry sector emissions fell 4.6 MtCO2e (8.0%), largely due to reduced fuel consumption in the iron and steel industry.