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”.
