UK emissions fall to new low as high energy prices see households cut back

Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to a new low in 2023 after households and businesses cut back on heating due to high energy prices. The Energy Department (DESNZ) said territorial emissions – those that take place within a country’s territorial boundaries – fell by 5.4% to 384.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, compared to 2022. In an update released on Thursday, the department said this was due to “reduced gas use in UK electricity generation and higher energy, and other prices that reduced demand for heating”. Energy prices for most British households hit record highs in late 2022 and did not start to fall again until July 2023. The electricity sector, which makes up an estimated 12% of UK emissions, saw greenhouse gas emissions fall by 19.6% in 2023, the data shows On top of the reduced electricity demand, DESNZ said Britain imported more electricity from France last year, amid a rebound in the country’s nuclear power output, cutting the need for domestic fossil fuel power production. The department said this also meant less gas was needed to meet the remaining electricity demand, with the data showing that gas power generation in Britain fell by 21.1% last...

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