Warmer weather and higher energy bills in 2022 led to a fall in greenhouse gas emissions in Bristol and across the country. Emissions within Bristol fell from the previous year by 7.5 per cent, largely due to reduced use of gas boilers, according to the latest government figures.

In Bristol the majority of greenhouse gas emissions — which are causing the climate to heat up — are due to people driving. Transport emissions fell slightly in 2022 by less than one per cent, after previously rising between 2020 to 2021 due to the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

The new data published by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero will help City Hall bosses focus their efforts on reducing emissions to net zero. The figures explore how emissions change and where they come from in each local authority area across the United Kingdom.

The emissions data report said: “The overall decrease in 2022 in greenhouse gas emissions allocated to local authorities in the UK was 5.1 per cent, largely as a result of warmer temperatures in 2022 resulting in less energy being used to heat buildings, and it may have also been affected by higher energy prices, particularly towards the end of the year.

“This was despite an increase in emissions from transport as the UK continued to recover from the pandemic. At a national level, transport greenhouse gas emissions saw an increase of 0.6 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021, following the removal of the last Covid-19 restrictions.”

Bristol emitted 1.57 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2022, which is less than half what the city emitted in 2006. Emissions from industry and the commercial sector have fallen the most, while transport emissions have barely reduced over the same period.

The winter in 2021 was particularly cold, leading to higher use of gas boilers, while the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to energy bills shooting up, which then reduced usage. Changing how the city heats homes will be a key area of focus over the next few years, with planned expansions to district heat networks, grants for heat pumps and upgrades to insulation.

The latest figures will barely take into account the effect of the Clean Air Zone, which launched in November 2022. However, this aims to reduce nitrogen dioxide, rather than carbon dioxide, and many cars have been left unaffected. Nitrogen dioxide directly harms human health, while carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas causing climate change.