Business
Emissions from UK residents and businesses fell by 0.5% in 2024, data shows
Greenhouse gas emissions generated by UK residents and businesses both at home and abroad fell by 0.5% in 2024, provisional figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday that the UK’s so-called “residential basis” emissions were 476 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2024.
This was 43.3% below levels in 1990 – the first year the ONS has data for.
Residence basis emissions cover those generated by British residents and businesses regardless of where they occur geographically.
The 0.5% fall from 2023 continues a general downward trend since the data time series began in 1990.
The manufacturing industry was the largest contributor to this total decrease in 2024, falling by 7.4% from 2023, according to the ONS.
Meanwhile, consumer spending remained the largest single contributor to UK emissions on a residence basis, at 26.0% of the 2024 UK total, the figures show.
These emissions were found to have risen by 1.7% in 2024 compared with 2023, marking the first time annual consumer expenditure emissions have increased since 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic.
This rise was largely driven by a 4.1% increase in residential natural gas combustion, the ONS said.
The second largest contributor to the UK’s emissions last year was found to be the transport sector at 16.1%.
It came after emissions from this industry increased by 4.5% in 2024, continuing a general rise for transport since 2021.
The ONS also published figures on changes in UK emissions intensity – which measures environmental efficiency by comparing the quantity of emissions to the economic output.
Between 2023 and 2024, UK emissions intensity fell from 0.16 to 0.15 thousand tonnes of CO2e per million pounds of gross value added (GVA).
Residence basis emissions, which are published by the ONS, can include emissions generated by UK residents overseas, such as travel, and from UK-registered companies operating abroad but they exclude those generated within the UK by foreign residents and businesses.
They differ from the Energy Department’s (Desnz) figures – last released in March – that calculate the emissions generated within the UK’s borders.
In 2024, these territorial emissions were 371.4 million tonnes of carbon equivalent – which was 3.5% lower than 2023 and 54.2% lower than 1990.
Heineken has announced a substantial investment exceeding £44 million into hundreds of its pubs across the UK, a move expected to create approximately 850 jobs.
The Dutch brewing giant’s Star Pubs operation, which manages 2,350 sites nationwide, is undertaking this significant financial commitment despite a challenging period for the pub sector.
The industry has faced considerable pressure over the past year, grappling with escalating labour costs and increases in national insurance contributions.
Concurrently, consumer spending has been constrained by concerns over inflation and rising unemployment, further impacting pub revenues. However, pubs did receive additional business rates support from the government last month, aimed at alleviating some of these financial burdens.
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs, indicated that the investment strategy is partly designed to bolster revenues and help the group navigate the recent “sustained increases in running costs”.
This year, £44.5 million will be allocated to upgrades for 647 pubs. A notable 108 of these venues are earmarked for particularly significant cash injections, with each transformation costing at least £145,000.
Heineken clarified that while the majority of its pubs are group-owned, they are independently operated by local licensees. A key focus for this investment, particularly in the lead-up to the 2026 football World Cup, will be on sports-focused venues.
The pub firm and brewer has a history of significant investment in British pubs, having pumped £328 million into the sector since 2018. Work has already commenced at 52 locations, including eight projects dedicated to reopening boarded-up pubs that have endured lengthy closures.
Mr Mountstevens also urged the government to reduce the tax burden on pubs, arguing it would ease cost pressures and foster further job creation within the industry.
He stated: “We can only do so much; the root-and-branch reform of business rates that the industry has been calling for over many years is urgently required, as well as a lowering of the burden of taxation on pubs, including VAT and beer duty.”
He concluded with a direct appeal: “We are calling on the Government to support us in bringing out the best in the Great British pub.”
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