British residents can breathe a little easier — Reuters reported that the country's emissions fell 4% in 2024, according to provisional government data. Since the 1990s, their decline in emissions has now reached 54%.
As the last coal-fired plant in the iron and steel industry closed, it further helped reduce industrial emissions by 9%. Its industrial impact is significant because the coal plant closings made Britain the first G7 country to stop using the dirty fuel. Since coal is the largest creator of pollution per unit of energy, according to The Brookings Institution, the move eased Britain closer to its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
However, the drop wasn't just in the industrial world, as the electricity sector saw the biggest emissions decline — 15% — partly due to more renewable power sources. The country's largest producer of carbon gases — the transport industry — saw a 2% decline, thanks to fewer people using diesel fuel in their vehicles.
As Britain's industries make a clean energy transition, other initiatives are taking place elsewhere. In the United States, the status of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax breaks and credits for energy-efficient updates, is uncertain, but EnergySage provides free advice to help you reduce your home's carbon footprint.
After 150 years of relying on coal, Hawaiʻi closed its last plant in 2022, as reported by the Guardian.
In Japan, the country's largest oil refiner is raising $3 billion to develop alternative fuels. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, China has also started to shift away from coal reliance to focus on renewables, which now account for 31% of its energy.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said Britain produced about 371 million metric tons (over 408 million tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, down from 385 million tons in 2023, per Reuters. Those millions of resulting toxic gases trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to increasing heat and unpredictable weather patterns, from droughts to heat waves to larger and deadlier hurricanes.
As countries and individuals work to clean up their carbon trail, the planet can heal, stop sea levels from rising, have a more secure food chain, and make people healthier.
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