2024 UK GHG emissions cut by 50,4% compared to 1990 levels (Climate Change Committee’s 2025 Report)

“Emissions in the UK have been steadily decreasing, with levels in 2024 50.4% below those in 1990,” writes the Climate Change Committee in its 2025 report, published on 24/06/2025.The “Progress in reducing emissions - 2025 report to Parliament” confirms that UK emissions have now been cut by more than half compared to 1990 levels. The UK is the first major economy to halve its territorial emissions.
The report attributes this progress largely to the decarbonisation of the electricity sector. “The electricity supply sector has been the main driver of recent progress in decarbonisation, with the sector accounting for 41% of annual reductions in 2024, and 49% of reductions over the period since 2008.” The closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station in 2024, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, is described as a significant moment: “This is a major milestone on the UK’s path to a decarbonised power system.
Although policies exist for some sectors, they are however far from sufficient. “We assess that 61% of the required reduction in emissions to hit the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC…