The line graph illustrates the amount of acid rain emissions in the UK, measured in millions of tonnes, produced by four sectors between 1990 and 2007.
Overall, acid rain emissions declined substantially over the period. The electricity, gas and water supply sector was by far the largest source at the beginning, but it experienced the most dramatic reduction. By contrast, emissions from transport and communication fluctuated slightly and ended at a level similar to where they began.
In 1990, the electricity, gas and water supply sector produced approximately 3.3 million tonnes of emissions, making it the dominant contributor. However, this figure fell sharply throughout the 1990s, reaching around 1 million tonnes by 1999. After a brief rise in the early 2000s, emissions continued to decrease steadily, finishing at roughly 0.5 million tonnes in 2007.
A similar but less dramatic decline can be seen in the “other industries” sector, where emissions dropped gradually from just over 2 million tonnes in 1990 to about 1.2 million tonnes by the end of the period.
By comparison, transport and communication showed relatively minor fluctuations, remaining close to 0.7-1.0 million tonnes throughout the timeframe. Meanwhile, domestic emissions were consistently the lowest and decreased steadily from about 0.6 million tonnes to approximately 0.2 million tonnes in 2007.