CASE STUDY - Contribution of UK to anthropogenic GHG emissions

Question 1

How much have carbon emissions increased from 1800-1900?

Answer 1

From 7269000 to 114558000 tonnes

Question 2

Patterns in the UK’s use of coal

Answer 2

• Early 19th century, industrialisation powered by coal took off, resulted in significant emissions of CO2 and in the course of the century these emissions increased sixteenfold
• UK remained dependant on coal as its main energy source for much of the 20th century
• Although coal production peaked in 1916 (at 137 million tonnes), as late as 1961 output was still more than 120 million
• Until the late 1970s, reliance on coal together with an expanding economy meant that carbon emissions increased year-on-year
• Trend was occasionally interrupted, notably when GDP and economic activity well, an abrupt decline in emissions occurred for example in 1921, during the miners’ strike and also in the general strike of 1926
• There was also a marked decline in the early 1980s, associated with economic recession and widespread unemployment
• More recently, the global financial crisis of 2009 caused a sudden reduction in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels

Question 3

Reasons for the UK’s recent fall in emissions

Answer 3

UK’s CO2 emissions peaked in 1971, since then annual emissions have fallen by one third, there are several reasons for this:
- Shift away from coal as the primary fuel for electricity generation to cheaper natural gas
- Development of nuclear power stations (particularly in the 197s and 1980s) and renewable sources of energy since the 1990s
- Improvements in energy conservation through more energy-efficient homes, offices and factories
- International obligations and legally binding reductions in carbon emissions
- In 2014, the UK’s carbon emissions fell by a record 9% on the previous year, in part reflected a fall in energy demand owing to the mild winter and spring, coal consumption was the lowest since the 1850s
- Two major coal-fired power stations were decommissioned and the largest, Drax in North Yorkshire, switched more of its capacity to biomass fuels
- In addition, an unprecedented 15% of electricity generation came from renewables
- UK government’s drive to decarbonise the British economy is likely to lead to further reductions in carbon emissions in the future

Question 4

How much of the UK’s 2014 energy mix was made up of coal and oil?

Answer 4

19% coal, 32% oil
51% combined