Extracts from NATTA's journal
Renew, issue 144 July- Aug 2003

9. UK emissions fall by 3.5%

UK Greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 3.5% in 2002. According to the DTI, this drop is in line with the trend needed to ensure the UK meets its Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gases to 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2012. CO2 emissions fell by 9% from 1990-2002, despite an overall energy consumption increase of 6.5% in that period, keeping the domestic Climate Change Programme goal of reducing CO2 to 20% below 1990 levels by 2010 firmly on the agenda. The DTI said that the CO2 drop ‘came at the same time as a 30% growth in GDP [since 1990] proving that economic growth does not have to be at the expense of a cleaner environment’. Environment Minister Michael Meacher said: ‘I am very pleased to see that preliminary estimates show that UK CO2 fell once more in 2002- leading to a reduction of between 8% and 9% since 1990- as well as provisionally the lowest level of UK CO2 emissions since before we negotiated the Rio agreement. Warmer temperatures helped us achieve this, but so did the policies in the Climate Change Programme, higher efficiency in general, fuel switching and a less CO2 intensive economy.’

The DTI say that the proportion of UK electricity generation by all renewables in 2002 has increased to around 3%, up from 2.6% in 2001. Oil production fell by 0.5% compared to 2001.Gas production fell by 2.5%. Coal and other solid fuel production fell by 5.5% and demand for coal by 8.5%.