UK emissions
The blue line in the chart shows total UK CO2 emissions (from fuel combustion) since 1990.
The red line is a straight line from the latest full year reading to the UK Government's commitment to achieve net zero by 2050.
You can see that the route to net zero by 2050 is a steep one downwards. The UK has reduced emissions at about the required rate before, but that was when we were eliminating most coal from our mix.
Note: These are UK emissions figures - i.e. including Northen Ireland - rather than GB ones. UK Government commitments cover all of the UK, not just GB. Northern Ireland is part of the Irish Grid so it's not included in reports on the GB Grid.
GB carbon intensity
The chart shows monthly average carbon intensity of GB electricity generation since 2020.
It is based on the National Grid ESO's monthly reports from March 2020.
The red line is the 12 month rolling average.
Carbon intensity is calculated by dividing the amount of CO2 produced by the amount of electricity generated. In the chart on the right carbon intensity is shown in gCO2/kWh (grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour).
GB transmission system demand
The chart shows monthly Transmission System Demand on the GB grid since 2020.
It is based on the official GB Grid data from Elexon.
The red line is the 12 month rolling average.
For GB emissions to decrease sufficiently for the UK to meet its commitments GB Carbon Intensity, GB Transmission System Demand or both need to significantly decrease.
National Grid ESO information on carbon intensity
The National Grid ESO also provide a Carbon Intensity Dashboard.
If you would like to see more of the monthly reports you can access them here.
A section of one report is shown in the graphic.
You can also access more detailed information - including regional breakdowns and links to the Application Programming Interface (API) - by accessing this page.