The UK has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent between 1990 and 2022, while growing the economy by nearly 80 per cent, becoming the first major economy to achieve this milestone.

Renewables now account for more than 40 per cent of the UK’s electricity, up from 7 per cent in 2010. The result is even more impressive when compared to a mere 23 per cent reduction in France and no change in the US between 1990 and 2021.

The reductions are largely due to cutting emissions from energy generation, through the shift away from using coal to using renewables. In 2012, coal provided almost 40 percent of UK electricity, but later this year, this will be zero.

Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said: “With some of the most ambitious targets in the world, we should be proud that we’ve over-achieved on our carbon budget for the third time in a row. We will continue to meet out targets but in a pragmatic way that doesn’t clobber extra costs onto hard working families.”

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