United Kingdom Fossil-Fuel CO₂ Emissions

Graphics    Digital Data

Trends

The fossil-fuel CO₂ emission record for the United Kingdom represents the longest national record of this database and begins in 1751. Since 1950, the United Kingdom has dropped from fourth to seventh in rank among fossil-fuel CO₂ emitting nations. Total carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom, 155 million metric tons of carbon in 2006, have been virtually unchanged since 1980 and remain roughly 10% below early 1970s peaks. A marked feature of the time series for the UK is the reliance on coal until the late 1950s. Emissions from coal now account for only 30.2% of the total emissions for the United Kingdom. Emissions from natural gas use grew rapidly in the late 1960s and have doubled since the early 1980s. Natural-gas burning now accounts for 32.7% of total emissions of CO₂.