The UK's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025, reaching their lowest level in over 150 years, according to Carbon Brief analysis. This achievement is largely attributed to a 34-year low in gas use and a 400-year low in coal use, with the latter being largely due to the end of coal power and a slowdown in the steel industry. These shifts were further supported by record-high UK temperatures, elevated gas prices, and a sharp decline in coal power in late 2024. The analysis also highlights a 1.5% drop in gas use, the lowest level since 1992, with contributions from cuts in heat for buildings and industry. Oil use fell by 0.9%, aided by the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), with over 700,000 new EVs, electric vans, and plug-in hybrids on the roads. The UK's emissions are now 54% below 1990 levels, while its GDP has nearly doubled. However, the 2.4% fall in emissions in 2025 is only slightly more than half of the 15MtCO2e cut needed each year until 2050 to meet the UK's legally binding net-zero target. The territorial greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in 27 out of 36 years since 1990, with emissions falling every year for the past two decades, except for brief rebounds after the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 lockdowns. The UK's coal demand fell by 56% in 2025, reaching the lowest level since 1600, and the last coal-fired power plant closed in September 2024. The steel industry is facing intense competition globally, with the Port Talbot site being converted to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, which does not rely on coal. Gas demand has fallen by nearly two-fifths since 2010, with half of the reduction due to a 50% fall in gas-fired electricity generation and another third from home heating. The UK's fleet of EVs is already having a significant impact on emissions, but domestic heat pump sales remain low compared to other European nations. The analysis concludes that despite the progress, the UK has a long way to go to meet its climate goals, including the 2050 net-zero target, which requires emissions to fall by 15MtCO2e each year until 2050.
