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industry & Government news

UK GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

DOWN 2.5% AS RENEWABLES

HIT RECORD

EMISSIONS ARE FALLING AS COAL USE DECLINES

BRITAIN’S GREENHOUSE GAS pledges made under the international dropped, amid record output from
emissions fell 2.5 per cent in 2018, Paris climate agreement. renewables such as wind and solar.
dropping for a sixth straight year but “If we are to avoid climate chaos, Separate provisional data released by
more slowly than before, as record we have to do much more: business as BEIS showed coal-fired power stations
output of renewable power ate away usual means more extreme weather, provided five per cent of the country’s
at coal-fired generation, according to species extinctions and a grim future for electricity generation in 2018, down
government data. young people,” said Mike Childs, Head of from 6.7 per cent a year earlier.
Output of the heat-trapping gases Research at Friends of the Earth. The contribution from gas-fired
in Europe’s second-largest emitter The pledge by the 2015 Paris climate power plants was slightly lower than in
behind Germany fell to 449 million conference to keep the increase in 2017, at 39.4 per cent.
tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, global average temperatures to below Coal-fired power stations emit double
the Department for Business, Energy 2°C above pre-industrial levels requires the amount of carbon dioxide as gas-
and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said in a a radical cutback in use of coal and fired plants. Britain plans to close all
preliminary report. other fossil fuels. coal-fired power stations by 2025.
Reuters reports that Britain’s Tens of thousands of school students The data showed emissions from
greenhouse gas emissions have now around the world walked out of classes in transport fell 2.6 per cent, which BEIS said
fallen 43.5 per cent since 1990, putting a global strike in March to protest against was likely due to more efficient vehicles.
it more than halfway towards meeting government inaction on climate change. However, emissions from the
a legally binding target to cut them by A breakdown of Britain’s figures residential sector rose 2.8 per cent,
2050 to 80 per cent below 1990 levels. showed emissions of carbon dioxide, which BEIS attributed to an increase in
But the rate of decline was less than the main greenhouse gas blamed for gas for home heating.
2017’s three per cent and six per cent climate change, fell 2.4 per cent last Around 80 per cent of Britain’s homes
in 2016. year to 364.1 million tonnes. are warmed using natural gas. A cold snap
Green groups said Britain was not Energy sector emissions fell seven last year led to sub-zero temperatures
reducing emissions fast enough to meet per cent as coal-fired power production and record-high gas prices.

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News.indd 3 16/04/2019 19:34