Most Polluted UK Commutes Revealed
How much does your commute affect the environment? Compare My Move has analysed the daily UK commute and found that we collectively produce 77.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, just by going to work. We calculated the gross emissions across the UK, as well as over 325 areas across the country to find the worst offenders in 2019.
It’s no surprise that London is at the top of our chart, creating 11.1 million tonnes of CO2e per year. That’s a staggering 14.3% of the UK’s total commuting emissions with the second highest producing city (Birmingham) producing just 2.14%.
UK-Wide Commute
UK commuters produce
77.8 million tonnes of CO2e
Most-Polluted
London is the worst producing
11.1 million tonnes of CO2e a year
Greenest Area
The Orkney Islands creates
just 8,186 tonnes of CO2e a year
Reducing Emissions
Eliminating the daily commute would
meet 1/3 of the UK's emissions target
Note: Full figures are available for each area including daily, weekly, monthly and yearly figures. All data was collated from ONS sources using official Labour Market statistics and National Travel Survey data. This was then used to work out the CO2 emissions for each location.
The full data set can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spread...
10 Areas with Highest Commuting Emissions:
| Area | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. London | 213,833.74 | 926,612.85 | 11,119,354.22 | 213,833.74 |
| 2. Birmingham | 31,952.74 | 138,461.87 | 1,661,542.48 | 31,952.74 |
| 3. Leeds | 24,411.84 | 105,784.65 | 1,269,415.75 | 24,411.84 |
| 4. Nottinghamshire | 23,657.10 | 102,514.11 | 1,230,169.37 | 23,657.10 |
| 5. Sheffield | 18,949.62 | 82,115.04 | 985,380.43 | 18,949.62 |
| 6. Bristol | 16,031.96 | 69,471.85 | 833,662.17 | 16,031.96 |
| 7. Bradford | 13,257.16 | 57,447.71 | 689,372.47 | 13,257.16 |
| 8. Cardiff | 12,117.85 | 52,510.68 | 630,128.11 | 12,117.85 |
| 9. Kirklees | 11,837.19 | 51,294.47 | 615,533.64 | 11,837.19 |
| 10. Coventry | 10,505.06 | 45,521.94 | 546,263.32 | 10,505.06 |
*Carbon Emissions measured in Tonnes of CO2e
10 Areas with Lowest Commuting Emissions:
| Area | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Burnley | 189.47 | 947.36 | 4,105.22 | 49,262.69 |
| 2. Copeland | 180.35 | 901.75 | 3,907.58 | 46,890.91 |
| 3. Hyndburn | 172.67 | 863.35 | 3,741.19 | 44,894.27 |
| 4. Ribble Valley | 164.06 | 820.30 | 3,554.63 | 42,655.61 |
| 5. Pendle | 147.44 | 737.22 | 3,194.63 | 38,335.59 |
| 6. Clackmannanshire | 139.04 | 695.22 | 3,012.62 | 36,151.38 |
| 7. Na h-Eilean Siar | 116.73 | 583.63 | 2,529.08 | 30,349.01 |
| 8. Barrow-in-Furness | 96.43 | 482.17 | 2,089.42 | 25,073.03 |
| 9. Shetland Islands | 68.09 | 340.45 | 1,475.30 | 17,703.59 |
| 10. Orkney Islands | 31.49 | 157.43 | 682.19 | 8,186.25 |
*Carbon Emissions measured in Tonnes of CO2e
Our data also breaks down London commuting emissions by borough. Croydon is the worst offender, producing 463,439 tonnes of CO2e each year. That’s 4.14% of London’s emissions. Wandsworth comes in second at 4.13% with Lambeth third at 4.10%.
The greenest commuting area in London is Kensington and Chelsea, producing 136,110 tonnes of CO2e or 1.22% of London’s total emissions.
All data was obtained on 18th September 2019 and was correct at the time of publishing.
The full data set can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spread...
