The line graph illustrates the growth in the total number of vehicles in England and Wales between 2000 and 2020, while the bar chart details CO2 emissions by vehicle type over the same period. Overall, both the total vehicle count and the emissions produced by each category rose significantly, with cars consistently generating the highest levels of pollution.
In 2000, there were 20 million vehicles in England and Wales. This figure climbed steadily to 35 million by 2010 and reached 60 million by 2020, representing a threefold increase over the two decades.
Regarding CO2 emissions, cars were the largest polluters, starting at 2.3 tonnes in 2000 and rising to 3.0 tonnes by 2020. Emissions from trucks also saw a notable increase, growing from 0.7 tonnes to 1.3 tonnes over the same period. Conversely, emissions from buses and vans showed more moderate growth. Buses rose from 0.3 tonnes to 0.45 tonnes, remaining stable between 2010 and 2020. Meanwhile, vans peaked at 0.7 tonnes in 2010 before experiencing a slight decline to 0.65 tonnes by 2020.