By: Sedra Ismael
In 2023, the EU's CO2 emissions from fossil fuels decreased by 8% from the previous year, hitting levels not seen since the 1960s. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the 2020 emissions decrease, making this the second sharpest decline reported. The fall in planet-heating pollution is the steepest yearly drop on record behind 2020, when governments shuttered factories and grounded flights to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea).
“EU CO2 emissions have finally fallen back to levels apparent in my parents’ generation in the 1960s,” said Isaac Levi, an analyst at Crea. “Yet, over this time period, the economy has tripled – showing that climate change can be combated without foregoing economic growth.” According to the analysis, cleaner electricity accounted for more than half of the reduction in emissions. According to industry figures, the EU installed a record number of solar panels and wind turbines in 2023, as well as producing more electricity from dams and nuclear power plants that had been hit by drought and repair work the previous year.
The analysis discovered that lower demand for energy, boosted by excellent weather, accounted for 8% of the reduction in fossil CO2 emissions. Cuts in sectors such as industry (where high gas prices have caused some firms to become more efficient and others to produce fewer items) and transportation accounted for the remaining 36%.
The figures exclude agriculture, filthy chemical operations like cement production, and other greenhouse gasses like methane. Analysts believe emissions are still declining too slowly. The EU carries some of the biggest responsibility for raising global temperatures and intensifying catastrophic weather. To keep temperatures under control, it has vowed to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Last week, the EU's own climate advisers stated that "the pace of reductions needs to increase considerably" if the group is to meet its 2030 target. According to a report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, the 27 member states must reduce emissions roughly twice as quickly as they have in the previous 17 years.
The EU carries some of the biggest responsibility for raising global temperatures and intensifying catastrophic weather. To keep temperatures under control, it has vowed to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
However, the 8% reduction in emissions should be celebrated. And according to Levi, "but more must be done to wean the EU off fossil fuels, reduce reliance on petrostates such as Russia, whilst also leaving the world a better place for the next generation."
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