Environment

Why is electricity so expensive? We explore the role of renewables, the costs of decarbonisation and the future of Britain's energy system.

We explore why UK electricity prices are so high and what reforms can be made to improve the efficiency of the market for and taxation of electricity.

How will a temporary cut to VAT on household electricity bills affect households, the tax system and the public finances?

A one-day academic workshop on issues in environmental economics, co-organised by IFS, LSE and QMUL.

The government has decided to abolish Carbon Price Support. This is a welcome development in the taxation of carbon emissions.

A manifesto with big tax and bigger spending increases – and a mixed bag of tax reforms.

The tax system pushes businesses and households away from electricity towards gas, making net zero more costly to achieve.

The government spent billions on support to help households with their energy bills in 2022–23. Could a better-designed package have saved money?

Average exposure to PM2.5 in England fell by 54% between 2003 and 2023. Almost everywhere in England is now below England’s 2040 target for PM2.5.

The average level of air pollution exposure faced by an English resident has fallen significantly since 2003.

Most sources of PM2.5 emissions have fallen in the past twenty years. The only source that has increased emissions since 2003 is domestic combustion.

The levels of air pollution faced by young children and older people are overall similar to those faced by the average population.

Air pollution exposure in London is consistently 15–30% higher than the average from 2003 to 2023.

The regions with the biggest falls in air pollution since 2003 are the South West and the South East, with the North East seeing the smallest fall.

The most deprived quintile consistently has higher PM2.5 air pollution levels than the least deprived, and this gap has widened since 2017.