UK's greenhouse gas emissions fell 5.4% in 2023, government data shows

A rebound in French nuclear power output in 2023 meant Britain was able to import more electricity, cutting the need for homegrown fossil fuel power production, while electricity demand also fell, DESNZ said. Total greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 384.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, were estimated at 302.8 million tonnes, 6.6% lower than in 2022.

Britain’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell by 5.4% in 2023 partly due to lower gas use in the electricity sector, provisional government data showed on Thursday. Britain has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, which will require changes to the way people eat and travel, as well as how electricity is produced.

“This decrease in 2023 is primarily due to a reduction in gas demand from the electricity supply and buildings and product uses sectors,” the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said. A rebound in French nuclear power output in 2023 meant Britain was able to import more electricity, cutting the need for homegrown fossil fuel power production, while electricity demand also fell, DESNZ said.

Total greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 384.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, were estimated at 302.8 million tonnes, 6.6% lower than in 2022.

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