UK halfway to reaching net zero after Covid-19 spurs record emissions cuts

Cecilia Keating
clock • 3 min read

After reducing its emissions by 51 per cent over the last 30 years, the UK has another 30 to make the same reductions again and hit net zero, Carbon Brief reveals

Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK in 2020 fell to half the levels recorded in 1990 in the wake of the pandemic, meaning the nation is technically halfway to meeting its target of reaching net zero emissions...

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