EMISSIONS caused by cars, trains and other vehicles in Carlisle fell by a record amount in 2020, new figures show.

Friends of the Earth said though a national drop in transport emissions is not surprising due to successive lockdowns during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the Government should do more to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles or ditch their cars entirely as emissions rebound.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures show transport – including cars, trains and other modes of travel – caused 229 kilo-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (ktCO2e) emissions in Carlisle in 2020.

This was down from 281 the year before and the largest decrease since 2005, when records began – that year, transport emissions hit 292 ktCO2e.

Carbon dioxide equivalent determines the amount of CO2 that would need to be emitted to equal the same global warming potential of other produced greenhouse gases.

Road vehicles accounted for 96% of transport emissions, while diesel-powered trains produced a further 1%.

Across the UK, the carbon footprint caused by transport dropped by a record 23,350 ktCO2e (18%), from 130,021 to 106,671.

Carlisle's total greenhouse gas emissions fell to 897 ktC02e in 2020, down 7% from 897 the year before.

Of this, 26% was caused by transport, while commercial emissions accounted for 8%, industry produced 10% and domestic use 20%.

The average person in Carlisle produced eight tCO2e in 2020.