Emissions from agriculture overtake electricity for first time: comment
Comment on data showing agriculture overtakes electricity in share of emissions

By Tom Lancaster
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The final UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics for 1990 to 2023 [1] reveal that agriculture now accounts for a higher percentage of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions than electricity supply. Commenting on the data, Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:
“These figures confirm what some had already predicted [2] – that the share of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture has for the first time exceeded electricity supply. Emissions from agriculture and land use have been flat since 2008. As other sectors put in place plans to decarbonise, farming risks becoming one of the biggest emitters in the UK economy [3].
“And yet farming is the sector perhaps most exposed to the risks of climate change. We’ve just seen one of the worst harvests in decades in the UK, as farmers battled through the wettest 18 months on record and relentless winter rainfall, made worse by climate change [5]. We will only see more terrible harvests and flooded and drought stricken farms in the future if we don’t do more now to move faster towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“In the meantime, farmers will need more support to adapt and build resilience. New green farming payments can provide a lifeline here, helping farmers to invest in their soils and in the hedgerows and trees that will protect their crops and local communities from flooding.”
Notes to editors:
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistics-1990-to-2023
2. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-emissions-in-2023-fell-to-lowest-level-since-1879/
3. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2024/farming-and-land-could-be-uks-largest-source-of-emissions-in-little-more-than-a-decade
4. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2024/uk-harvest-hits-near-record-lows-following-government-food-security-warnings
5. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/autumn-and-winter-storms-over-uk-and-ireland-are-becoming-wetter-due-to-climate-change/
For more information or for interview requests:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: +44 (0)7894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net