Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United Kingdom

The report examines the UK's progress toward an 80 percent emission reduction by 2050 as mandated by the Climate Change Act 2008. While the UK is projected to meet carbon budgets up to 2022, the analysis indicates that meeting the fourth carbon budget (2023–27) will require an acceleration of emission reductions and the timely implementation of additional measures. Key policy levers discussed include electricity market reform, the Green Deal, the Energy Company Obligation, the EU Emissions Trading System, and the EU Renewable Energy Directive.

• The United Kingdom is legally committed to reducing emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2050, utilizing a system of five-year carbon budgets to reach this goal.
• Projections indicate the UK will meet its carbon budgets through 2022, but meeting the fourth budget for 2023–27 will necessitate a further acceleration of emission reductions.
• To achieve future carbon budget targets, the UK must implement additional measures more quickly than in the past and ensure emissions in the 2018–22 period are significantly lower than the legislated level.
• Current and developing mitigation policies include the EU Emissions Trading System for power and industry, the EU Renewable Energy Directive targeting a 15 percent share of renewables in final energy by 2020, and the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation for energy efficiency.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United Kingdom. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-kingdom

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United Kingdom. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-kingdom.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United Kingdom |url=https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-kingdom |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendgreenhouse, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United Kingdom}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-kingdom}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }