In 2023, the European Union produced 8% less carbon dioxide from fossil fuels than in 2022. The Guardian writes about this with reference to the analysis of the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research (Crea), UNN reports.
Details
According to Crea's analysis, the drop in pollution is the steepest annual decline since 2020, when governments closed factories and canceled flights to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The EU's CO2 emissions have finally fallen to levels seen in my parents' generation in the 1960s
More than half of the emissions reduction was due to the use of clean electricity, the report says. According to industry data, in 2023, the EU built a record number of solar panels and wind turbines, and was able to generate more electricity from dams and nuclear power plants that were affected by drought and repair work a year earlier.
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The report notes that lower electricity demand, helped by good weather, accounted for 8% of the reduction in fossil CO2 emissions. Reductions in sectors such as industry - where high gas prices have forced some companies to become more efficient and others to produce fewer goods - and transportation accounted for the remaining 36%.
These figures do not include sectors such as agriculture, dirty chemical processes such as cement production, or other greenhouse gases such as methane. Analysts say overall emissions are still falling too slowly.
Context
The EU bears perhaps the greatest responsibility for the warming of the planet and the increase in extreme weather. To keep the temperature under control, it has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 and to reach zero emissions by 2050.