Europe’s greenhouse gas output drops by over 8% in one year
The newly released EU Climate Action Progress Report indicates that while progress is being made, the journey towards net-zero remains a steep climb.
The EU’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, has emphasised that the fall in emissions across Europe proves that climate action and economic growth can go hand in hand.The headline figure shows an 8.3 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions across the EU in 2023 – a decline not seen since the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, when emissions dropped by 9.8 per cent.
While this is a positive sign, Europe still has a long way to go, as emissions remain 37 per cent below the baseline year of 1990, well short of the target of at least a 55 per cent reduction by 2030.
Emissions have fallen unevenly across industries
According to the report, emissions from power stations and factories covered by the EU’s emissions trading scheme have decreased by over 47 per cent since the scheme’s introduction in 2005. In contrast, sectors including agriculture and domestic transport have seen a more modest reduction of only 2 per cent in 2023.
Aviation has experienced the biggest increase, with emissions rising by 9.5 per cent year-on-year.
Europe’s carbon footprint shrinking
In parallel with the EU report, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released its Trends and Projections report, attributing the decline in emissions primarily to the reduced use of coal and the continued expansion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
However, the EEA cautioned that existing measures are not enough to meet long-term targets. “Existing climate action measures would result in only a 43 per cent reduction by 2030,” said the EEA, noting that even with additional measures planned by 22 member states, a reduction of only 49 per cent could be achieved – far short of the goal.
As the EU continues its efforts, the progress and challenges will be felt by residents.
