Greenhouse gas emissions drop with recession
UK greenhouse gas emissions dropped significantly during 2009 at the peak of the economic recession.
Government statistics revealed that the GHG emissions fell at least 8.7 per cent from 2008 figures. Carbon dioxide, the most common GHG, went down 9.8 per cent.
UK GHG emissions, which fall under the Kyoto Protocol, were recorded at 566.3 million tonnes in 2009 compared to a total of 620.5 million tonnes during 2008. The figures, published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), indicate that UK emissions have dropped 26.5 per cent since the 1990s. In order to meet its first legally binding carbon reduction, the UK is required to decrease emissions by 23 per cent by 2012.
The numbers show that this commitment will be met and exceeded as GHG levels drop across all sectors. The largest declines, however, were seen in the business and industrial sectors, which recorded drops of 36.5 per cent and 11.8 per cent, respectively. Energy sector emissions fell 11 per cent.
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