Total net greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union dropped by 8% last year, new figures reveal, meaning that greenhouse gas pollution in the 27-country bloc is now 37% below 1990 levels. It was despite GDP growing by 68% over the same period.
Emissions linked to buildings, agriculture, domestic transport, small industry and waste all dropped in 2023, which experts say is a result of a significant decline in coal use and soaring use of renewable energy. The reduction is close to matching the drop recorded in Europe at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions grounded planes and many factories halted production.
The stats was revealed in the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) Trends and Projections report published on Thursday, with the EEA saying it marks “significant progress towards climate neutrality for the EU”.
“The impact of climate change is accelerating,” said the EEA’s executive director, Leena Ylä-Mononen. “This leaves us no choice but to strengthen our resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Because there is still a gap to close. Current policies from member states are expected to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 from their 1990 levels. Planned measures that have not yet been enacted would bring this up to 49% – say experts – still leaving a gap of six percentage points.
The EU Climate Law sets ambitious targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions: a net 55% reduction below 1990 levels by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050, to deliver European commitments under the international Paris agreement.
The impact of climate change is accelerating. This leaves us no choice but to strengthen our resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
In 2023, the biggest reduction in pollution came from the energy sector, the EEA found, due to the rapid rollout of renewable energy, which has accelerated the shift away from fossil fuels.
Industrial emissions fell 6%, as some factories improved efficiency and others reduced production, while similar progress was made in the construction sector.
Progress in other sectors was less impressive: emissions from farms fell by just 2% last year, while the transport sector’s emissions reduced by only 1%.
Main image: Turbines behind tulips growing in the Netherlands last year. Credit: Sjo
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