UK public wrong on greenhouse gas emissions sources

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The British public is getting it wrong when it comes to identifying major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, an Institution of Mechanical Engineers survey has found.

The survey found the British public underestimating the contribution of domestic heating to greenhouse gas emissions and overestimating aviation’s overall impact.

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Titled Public Perceptions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the survey found 15 per cent of people mentioning domestic heating as one of the top three sources of emissions. Aviation (53 per cent), livestock farming (34 per cent) and the heating of commercial buildings (16 per cent) were ranked higher despite being sectors that produce less emissions than homes.

According to IMechE, building heating is one of the main sources of emissions in Britain, with three quarters coming from homes using gas and oil-fired boilers. The Climate Change Committee state that nearly 13 per cent of UK greenhouse gases are a result of home heating using fossil fuels, a similar level to emissions from cars.

In a statement, Matt Rooney, head of policy at the Institution, said: “The decarbonisation of home heating is one of biggest challenges we face as a country in trying to meet our 2050 Net Zero emissions target.

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