Sample Detail

The given diagram illustrates how many million tons of carbon were released from three fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2010. Overall, the period was characterized by a reverse trend: while gas emissions increased significantly from the lowest to the highest level at the end of the period, coal emissions declined sharply from the peak to the bottom. Furthermore, emissions from oil underwent a steady decrease. In the first year, gas held the lowest emission level at around 225 million tons. However, over a two-decade period, this figure sharply increased and reached the peak at 325 million tons by 2010. By contrast, coal initially recorded the highest emissions at 310 million tons in 1990, before witnessing a 120-million-ton fall to 190 million tons, which only represented two-thirds of the volume emitted by gas in the final year. Regarding oil, emissions from oil stood at 270 million tons at the beginning, which was 40 million tons less than the coal emissions at that time. In the first decade, this figure fluctuated slightly around the 250 million tons mark, then saw a considerable decrease to 210 million tons, ending the period as the second-highest source.