It is undeniable that 2024 was a tough year in the fight against climate change, but it is not all doom and gloom. Good news, for example, comes from the United Kingdom where, in terms of energy production, renewable energy is going from strength to strength. The amount of electricity produced using fossil fuels in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is now the lowest it has ever been.
As reported in an analysis by Carbon Brief, 2024 saw the UK increase the production of electricity from renewable sources by 122 percent compared to 2014. The amount of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour was 124 grams compared to 419 grams a decade ago. That’s a 70 percent drop!
Gas-fired power stations were still the largest producer of electricity in the country, accounting for 28 percent of the production. Wind produced 26 percent of the total. Thanks to new wind-powered plants coming online in the coming months, and given that last year was less windy than average, it is believed that wind will come out on top in 2025.
In 2014, energy production was the largest emitter of carbon in 2014. It is now fifth, after transportation, buildings, industry, and agriculture. Crucial to this massive reduction in carbon emissions is the phasing out of coal power plants, with the last one closing just a few months ago. The UK government plans to have clean power produce 95 percent of all electricity by 2030 – a big task, but the last decade shows that drastic changes are possible.
In the US, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) for 2024 and 2025 that there was an increase in renewable energy but no major changes in the amount of fossil fuel used in energy production. Coal consumption has been practically unchanged in the US over the last few years, but there is hope for a more pronounced reduction in 2025.
It is expected that coal-fired plants responsible for 11 gigawatts will be retired, and 9 gigawatts of wind generation and 25 gigawatts of solar generation will be added to the grid. Still, since 2019, coal power has been in decline, which is in general good news.
The top 10 hottest years on record have all happened during the last decade, with 2024 being “effectively certain” to be the hottest year on record.
