Sample Detail

The line graph illustrates the amount of air pollutants emitted by three different sources in the UK between 1990 and 2005. Overall, emissions from all three sources declined over the period. Industry remained by far the largest contributor despite experiencing the sharpest fall, whereas household emissions were consistently the lowest. In 1990, industry produced around 6 million tonnes of air pollutants, considerably more than transport and households, at approximately 1 and 1.5 million tonnes respectively. Industrial emissions then fell steadily to around 3 million tonnes by 1996, while transport emissions increased to nearly 2 million tonnes. In contrast, household emissions declined to about 1 million tonnes. From 1996 onwards, household emissions continued to fall gradually, reaching almost zero by 2005. Although transport emissions dipped slightly in 1999, they recovered to around 2 million tonnes and remained stable thereafter. Meanwhile, industrial emissions continued their downward trend, decreasing from approximately 3 million to 2 million tonnes by the end of the period.