‘Encouraging’ Report Finds Europe’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fell by 8% Last Year

Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union fell by eight percent last year — to 37 percent below 1990 levels — according to a new report, Trends and projections in Europe 2024, by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The massive reduction in pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels in 2023 was aided by the ramping up of renewables like solar and wind, as well as the shutting down of coal-fired power plants.

“The impact of climate change is accelerating,” said Executive Director of the EEA Leena Ylä-Mononen, as The Guardian reported. “This leaves us no choice but to strengthen our resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The European Commission called the reduction “very encouraging,” saying it “reinforced confidence” in the bloc’s ability to meet its goal of slashing emissions by 55 percent by 2030.

“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. This target includes net removals from the so-called land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector as well as emissions from international aviation and maritime transport activities regulated under EU law. The European Commission has also recommended a 90% net reduction target for 2040,” a press release from EEA said.

The EEA report found that current EU policies are predicted to lower emissions by 43 percent below 1990 levels by the end of the decade, The Guardian reported. Additional measures that have yet to be implemented would bring the total reduction to 49 percent — leaving a six percentage point gap.

“Updates to national energy and climate plans — where several Member States have yet to submit their revised plans — offer an opportunity to implement additional measures to bridge the gap towards the target. An initial European Commission estimate of the plans submitted so far confirm[s] an increased collective ambition level and a reduction of the gap,” EEA said in the press release.

The average European’s emissions were slightly higher than the worldwide average of 6.59 tonnes of greenhouse gases last year at 7.26 tonnes, according to the report.

The energy sector saw the largest reduction due to the rapid deployment of renewables, which sped up the move away from fossil fuels.

Emissions from the industrial sector were down six percent, as some factories slashed production and others became more efficient. The building sector was found to have achieved similar progress.

Some sectors did not see such success, with emissions from the transport sector falling by just one percent in 2023 and agricultural emissions down two percent.

“This year’s Trends and Projections Report calls for comprehensive action across all sectors to achieve our shared goal of balancing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals within the next two and a half decades,” Ylä-Mononen said in the press release.