Greenhouse gas emissions – 2009 headline results

• In 2009, UK emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol were provisionally estimated to be 574.6 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. This was 8.6 per cent lower than the 2008 figure of 628.3 million tonnes.

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for about 85 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2008, the latest year for which final results are available. In 2009, UK net emissions of carbon dioxide were provisionally estimated to be 480.9 million tonnes (Mt). This was 9.8 per cent lower than the 2008 figure of 532.8 Mt.

• Between 2008 and 2009, there were significant decreases in CO2 emissions from all the main sectors. The provisional estimates show decreases in emissions of 11.3 per cent (23.7 Mt) from the energy supply sector, 15.3 per cent (13.1 Mt) from the business sector, 6.5 per cent (8.5 Mt) from the transport sector, and 4.9 per cent (4.0 Mt) from the residential sector. 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 2008 and 2009 resulted primarily from a significant fall in energy consumption, combined with fuel switching from coal to nuclear for electricity generation. As the UK economy contracted during 2009, this resulted in an overall reduction in demand for electricity, together with lower fossil fuel consumption by businesses and households.
• There was a decrease in CO2 emissions from power stations of 13.1 per cent (22.7 Mt) between 2008 and 2009, resulting partly from a fall in demand and partly from less coal and more nuclear power being used to generate electricity.

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