The line graph illustrates the amount of air pollution generated by three distinct sectors (industry, transport, and households) alongside the total emissions in the United Kingdom over a 15-year period, from 1990 to 2005.
Overall, it is clear that the total amount of air pollutants in the UK decreased substantially over the given timeframe. This decline was primarily driven by a significant reduction in industrial emissions, whereas pollution from transport remained relatively constant.
In 1990, total air pollution stood at roughly 7 million tonnes. The vast majority of this originated from industry, which accounted for approximately 5.5 million tonnes. Over the next decade and a half, both figures experienced a marked decline. Industrial pollution plummeted to exactly 3 million tonnes by 1996 and continued to fall more gradually thereafter, reaching 2 million tonnes in 2005. Consequently, total emissions mirrored this downward trend, dropping consistently to just over 3 million tonnes by the end of the period.
Conversely, the transport and household sectors were significantly smaller contributors. In 1990, both produced around 1 million tonnes of pollutants. While household emissions experienced a downward trend – fluctuating slightly before dropping to nearly zero by 2005 – transport pollution remained remarkably stable. It hovered consistently at the 1 million tonne mark throughout the entire 15-year span, notably overtaking households as the second-largest source of pollution after 1993.