New figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that the sector which directly abstracted the largest amount of non-tidal freshwater in England and Wales was electricity generation.

The figures form part of the UK Environmental Accounts 2014 showing how the environment contributes to the economy (e.g. via extraction of raw materials) and the impacts that the economy has on the environment (e.g energy consumption and air emissions). , The figures also demonstrate how society responds to environmental issues - for example, through taxation and expenditure on environmental protection.

The figures provide an interesting insight into water use, defined as the physical amount of water abstracted from any source for consumption and production activities.

In 2011, total water abstraction from freshwater (non-tidal) sources in England and Wales was 10,463 million cubic metres. Of this, 58.1% was for public water supply, while 41.9% was directly abstracted by different sectors of the economy. In 2011, direct abstraction accounted for 41.9% of freshwater (non-tidal) abstraction in England and Wales.

Of all public water supply, 47.7% was used by households, while non-domestic sectors accounted for the remaining 52.3% of public water use. The services sector used 9.7%, the manufacturing sector used 4.3%, while 18.6% was lost through leakage. Significant non-domestic users of the public water supply were the chemicals and chemical products sector (165.9 million cubic metres), and accommodation and food services sector (127.0 million cubic metres).

In 2011, direct abstraction accounted for 41.9% of freshwater (non-tidal) abstraction in England and Wales.

The sector that directly abstracted the largest amount of water was electricity generation, directly abstracting 2,537.6 million cubic metres (57.9% of total direct abstraction). The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector was also a major user, with 878.7 million cubic metres directly abstracted (20.1% of total direct abstraction) in addition to the 120.5 million cubic metres taken from the public water supply. The manufacturing sector directly abstracted 11.0% of total direct abstraction, while also using 4.3% of the public water supply.

The environmental accounts are used nationally and internationally, primarily by governments, development organisations and researchers, to inform policy, evaluate the environmental impacts of different sectors of the economy and to model the impacts of fiscal or monetary measures.

The environmental accounts, which are ‘satellite accounts’ to the main National Accounts,  compiled in accordance with the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA),  are divided into the following categories:

Natural capital accounts:

Oil and gas reserves

Physical flow accounts:

Fuel use and energy consumption

Atmospheric emissions

Material flows

Water use

Monetary accounts:

Environmental taxes

Environmental protection expenditure

Experimental natural capital accounts

Land use

Forestry

Revenue from environmentally related taxes peaks at £43 billion in 2013

Other headline figures include:

• Revenue from environmentally related taxes (in current prices) has gradually increased over the past two decades, peaking at £43.0 billion in 2013. This represented 7.5% of total revenue from taxes and social contributions in the UK and was equivalent to 2.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

• In 2012, the UK government spent £14.2 billion on environmental protection activities, of which £11.5 billion (81.3%) was spent on the collection, treatment and disposal of waste.

• In 2012, 45 million tonnes of oil and 37 billion cubic metres of gas were extracted in the UK, 13.5% and 14.0% lower than extraction levels in 2011, respectively.
• Total energy consumption increased by 1.2% in 2012, contrary to the overall declining trend, which was largely due to the average air temperature being 0.9°C lower than in 2011.
• Greenhouse gas emissions have generally decreased since the mid-1990s, falling from a peak of 822.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 1991 to 642.0 million tonnes of CO2e in 2011, the lowest point in the series. In 2012, greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.2% to 656.3 million tonnes of CO2e.
• Greenhouse gas emissions intensity was 37.7% lower in 2012 (0.38 thousand tonnes of CO2e per £ million) compared with 1997 (0.61 thousand tonnes of CO2e per £ million).

Natural capital to be fully incorporated into UK Environmental Accounts by 2020

The figures also include experimental natural capital accounts - as part of the ONS Natural Capital Roadmap, the ONS is aiming to incorporate natural capital fully in to the UK Environmental Accounts by 2020. In June 2013, ONS published experimental accounts and methodologies of UK land use, woodland area, woodland ecosystem assets and services, non-monetary timber resources and monetary timber resources. The accounts are included in the bulletin as experimental statistics which are still under development.

Click here to access the UK Environmental Accounts 2014.