UK greenhouse gas emissions dropped in the first quarter for the first time in two years, as the post-pandemic recovery in demand eased and renewable energy contributed more to the energy mix.

Emissions on a residence basis — which includes all British residents plus UK-registered businesses whether they are located in the country or overseas — were estimated to be 151 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the first three months of 2023, a 1.4% drop from a year earlier, according to data from the Office for National Statistics released on Tuesday.

UK emissions have followed a bumpy path in recent years. They slumped in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, then rebounded in the following two years as lockdown measures were lifted and international shipping and aviation resumed.

The first-quarter 2023 greenhouse gas total was still below the 164 million tons estimated to have been emitted in the same period in 2019.

This latest decline suggests a reduction in industrial energy consumption, the ONS said. This drop in demand was corroborated by official data published at the end of June, which also showed renewable generation in the first quarter reaching a record share of nearly half total generation, up from 5.8% in the same period of 2010.