Long-term Absolute Decoupling in the United Kingdom: Climate Policy and Structural Transformation

Authors

  • Dona H. Wirasinha Thompson Rivers University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe742

Keywords:

United Kingdom, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, IPAT decomposition, carbon intensity, absolute decoupling, climate policy, net-zero targets, emissions trading, carbon pricing, renewable energy transition, decarbonization, Climate Change Act, net zero, Environmental Kuznets Curve, IPAT framework, emissions intensity, economic growth, technological change, sustainability

Author Biography

Dona H. Wirasinha, Thompson Rivers University

Dona H. Wirasinha is a graduate student in the Master of Environmental Economics and Management program at Thompson Rivers University, British Colombia, Canada, with a Bachelors in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management from the National School of Business Management, Sri Lanka. Her research focuses on climate policy, the decoupling of economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions and IPAT based decompositions in economics on the United Kingdom’s net-zero transition. This research examines empirical analysis on international datasets with policy evaluations on carbon pricing, renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency regulation

References

Carbon Brief. (2025, March 26). Analysis: UK emissions fall 3.6% in 2024 as coal use drops to lowest since 1666. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-emissions-fall-3-6-in-2024-as-coal-use-drops-to-lowest-since-1666/

Climate Action Tracker. (2025, September 24). United Kingdom. https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/uk/

Climate Change Committee. (2025, February 26). The seventh carbon budget. Note on implementation gap for 2030 targets. https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-seventh-carbon-budget/

Climate Change Committee. (2025, June 23). Progress in reducing emissions: 2025 report to Parliament. https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2025-report-to-parliament/

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. (2024). UK Greenhouse gas inventory 1990 to 2022: Annual report for submission under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Ricardo Energy & Environment. https://naei.beis.gov.uk/

GOV.UK. (2025). UK international climate finance results 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2025

Office for National Statistics. (2024). The decoupling of economic growth from carbon emissions: UK analysis. https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts

UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. (2024). Final UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics: 1990 to 2023 [Government Statistical Service report].

World Bank. (2024). Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO₂e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP) [Data set]. EDGAR/IEA. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.GHG.CO2.RT.GDP.PP.KD?locations=GB

World Bank. (2024). GDP per capita (current US$) – United Kingdom [Data set]. World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=GB

World Bank. (2024). Population, total – United Kingdom [Data set]. World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=GB

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Published

2026-02-27

How to Cite

Wirasinha, D. H. (2026). Long-term Absolute Decoupling in the United Kingdom: Climate Policy and Structural Transformation. Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment. https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe742

Issue

2026: Special Issue: Ambition vs. Action — Growth, Emissions, and Climate Targets in the Paris Agreement Era

Section

Commentaries and Opinions

Categories

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