Âé¶¹´«Ă½

Analysis and Environment

Why the UK using less electricity is weirdly bad news for the climate

By Michael Le Page

4 January 2019

Âé¶¹´«Ă½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

We need to use more electricity, not less

Loop Images/Getty

Electricity demand in the UK is falling – but surprisingly, that means the country is not doing what it must to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

An analysis of government and industry data by Simon Evans of climate website Carbon Brief has revealed that . The fall in electricity demand is slightly smaller, as UK now imports a bit more electricity.

This is part of a global trend: electricity…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ă½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop