Estonia reported a 30.7% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union in the third quarter of 2023, the biggest decline across all member states.
Other significant declines were reported in Bulgaria (-18.6%), Germany (-12.2%), Czechia (-9.9%) and Finland (-9.3%).
Some 23 EU members reported a decline in greenhouse gas emissions in the period, compared to the same period in 2022, according to estimated data from Eurostat.
Increase in emissions
Four EU members reported an increase in greenhouse gas emissions in Q3 2023, however, including Malta (+7.7%), Cyprus (+3.7%), Latvia (+3.4%) and Slovakia (+0.9%).
In the third quarter of 2023, greenhouse gas emissions from the EU economy totalled an estimated 787 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), marking a decrease of 7.1% compared to corresponding period the previous year, which saw emissions of 847 million tonnes of CO2-eq.
Emissions by sector
During the third quarter of 2023, the sectors experiencing the most significant reductions compared to the same period in 2022 were electricity and gas supply (-23.7%), households (-6.5%), and manufacturing (-4.9%).
Some 11 EU countries, including Romania, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, France, and Lithuania, are estimated to have achieved a reduction in emissions while experiencing GDP growth, according to the Eurostat data.
Ireland, Estonia, Austria, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Hungary, meanwhile, reported a decline in GDP, along with a decline in emissions.
