UKCS Contribution to Delivering Environmental Targets

UKCS Contribution to Delivering Environmental Targets

Figure 50: UK Energy Intensity 1970-2004

As the UK economy has shifted from reliance on manufacturing to services and energy efficiency has improved, less energy has been required per unit of output. Overall, the energy intensity of UK output has halved since 1970, with reductions in coal (82%) and oil (63%) intensity leading the way. However, the use of natural gas has increased dramatically with the volume of gas consumed in the creation of every £1 of output having tripled since 1970. Although the use of renewables and hydro-electricity in output creation has more than quadrupled since 1970, the starting point was so small that even in 2004 only 2% of energy used per £1 output was attributable to this type of energy.

Given that gas is less polluting than oil or coal, this switch between energy sources has made a positive contribution to efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as shown in figure 51. This is reflected in the emissions intensity of energy consumption which fell by 20% between 1990 and 2004.

The UK is committed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% by 2008-12 compared with emissions in 1990. Furthermore it has sets its own target of reducing CO₂ emissions by 20% between 1990 and 2010. As figure 51 below shows, the UK is already meeting the Kyoto target of greenhouse emissions.

Figure 51: UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990-2005

Despite an increase in energy demand of 10% over the last 15 years and a slight increase in CO₂ emissions since 2002, overall the UK has recorded a reduction in CO₂ emissions since 1990. This trend has been assisted by the switch from coal and oil to gas, for which power generation is much more thermally efficient and lower carbon-emitting. The extent to which the proliferation of gas – its contribution to electricity generation is forecast to rise from 37% in 2005 to as much as 57% in 2020 – can continue to contribute to the UK’s CO₂ emissions reduction will depend on the mix of gas and nuclear generation capacity that is built to replace coal-powered generation.