UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fall 2% in 2025
The UK’s territorial greenhouse gas emissions are provisionally estimated to have fallen by 2% in 2025, reaching 367 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), according to new figures published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
The decline represents a reduction of 7 MtCO2e compared with 2024 and means UK emissions are now estimated to be 54% lower than 1990 levels.
Carbon dioxide remained the dominant greenhouse gas, accounting for around 78% of total emissions in 2025.
The largest reductions came from the industry and electricity supply sectors. Industrial emissions fell by 12%, largely due to blast furnace closures in the iron and steel sector and lower gas use across manufacturing industries. Emissions from electricity supply declined by 1%, with coal-related emissions falling to zero following the closure of the UK’s final coal-fired power station in September 2024.
Despite overall emissions reductions, domestic transport emissions increased by 2%, driven by higher petrol and diesel consumption in road transport. Transport remained the UK’s largest emitting sector, accounting for 31% of total emissions in 2025.
Buildings and product use emissions fell by 2%, helped by lower heating demand across residential, commercial and public buildings. Fuel supply emissions also declined by 5% due to reduced emissions from oil and gas production and supply.
The report found that electricity generation from renewable sources reached a record level, accounting for 52% of total electricity generation in 2025. Nuclear and renewable energy together represented 65% of fuel used for electricity generation, compared with 22% in 1990.
Long-term emissions reductions continue to be driven primarily by the shift away from coal towards gas and renewable energy, alongside lower overall energy demand and improvements in energy efficiency.
DESNZ also noted that UK emissions are heavily influenced by temperature changes, particularly in the buildings sector where colder weather increases heating demand. Temperature-adjusted emissions fell by 2.1% in 2025, slightly more than the actual decline of 1.8%, suggesting weather conditions had only a limited impact on the overall annual trend.
The statistics also highlighted continuing declines in emissions from fuel supply, which are now 65% below 1990 levels, reflecting the long-term reduction in domestic coal production and changing energy infrastructure.
International aviation emissions fell by 1% in 2025, while emissions from international shipping declined by 6%. Aviation emissions are now broadly back to pre-pandemic levels, while shipping emissions remain below 2019 figures.
The provisional figures are intended to provide an early indication of emissions trends and will be revised when final UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics are published in February 2027.
