The line graph illustrates the changes in acid rain emissions, measured in millions of tonnes, across four different sectors in the UK – namely transport and communication, electricity, gas and water supply, domestic, and other industries – between 1990 and 2007.
Overall, it is clear that all four sectors exhibited a downward trend. In addition, acid rain emissions from the domestic sector remained the lowest among all sectors throughout the period.
To begin with, acid rain emissions from the electricity, gas, and water supply sector stood at almost 3.4 million tonnes in 1991, representing the highest level among all sectors, before sharply falling to just over 1.4 million in 1997. Meanwhile, it experienced minor fluctuations between 1997 and 2001. Eventually, emissions declined dramatically, reaching 0.5 million tonnes in 2007.Furthermore, acid rain emissions from other industries exhibited a comparable pattern, falling consistently over the years. In 1991, they accounted for 2 million tonnes . Similtaneously ,remained stable during 1993. In the following years, they showed a substantial decrease, reaching 1.3 million tonnes in 2007.
When it comes to the domestic and transport and communication sectors, both trends showed a similar pattern in 1991, standing at 0.6 million tonnes and 0.7 million tonnes, respectively. At the same time, they remained steady during 2001. Subsequently, acid rain emissions from the transport and communication sector experienced a minor increase to just over 1 million tonnes in 2005, but unexpectedly declined to 0.6 million tonnes in 2007. In contrast, emissions from the domestic sector dropped to 0.1 million tonnes, becoming the lowest among all sectors at the same year.