The Netherlands reported the biggest year-on-year decline in greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union in the second quarter of 2024, with a 9.1% decline, new data from Eurostat has revealed.
Other EU countries to report a notable decline in greenhouse gas emissions in the second quarter of the year include Bulgaria (-6.3%), Austria (-5.9%), Hungary (-5.9%), Belgium (-4.7%), Czechia (-4.5%) and Croatia (-4.4%).
By contrast, a number of European countries also saw their greenhouse gas emissions increase, year-on-year, with Sweden seeing a 5.6% increase in emissions in Q2.
Cyprus reported a 4.4% increase, while Lithuania and Malta were up around 4% each.
Emissions in the EU
Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU were estimated at 790 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq) in the second quarter of the year, marking a 2.6% decline from the 812 million tonnes recorded during the same period in 2023.
On a European level, the sectors with the largest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were electricity and gas supply, which saw a 12.1% decrease, and households, with a 4.2% decrease.
The data also showed that of the 19 EU countries estimated to have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions in the second quarter of 2024, five (Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Austria) also recorded a decline in GDP. The remaining 14 countries (Poland, Denmark, Croatia, Spain, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Czechia, Netherlands, France, and Germany) managed to decrease emissions while experiencing GDP growth. Read more here.
Greenhouse gas emissions increase/decrease by EU member state, Q2 2024 (%)
| Country | Emissions Change (%) |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | -9.085% |
| Bulgaria | -6.302% |
| Austria | -5.879% |
| Hungary | -5.853% |
| Belgium | -4.722% |
| Czechia | -4.49% |
| Croatia | -4.398% |
| Germany | -3.878% |
| Slovakia | -3.174% |
| Italy | -2.827% |
| Denmark | -2.382% |
| Finland | -2.353% |
| France | -2.307% |
| Portugal | -2.168% |
| Ireland | -1.886% |
| Estonia | -1.637% |
| Poland | -1.451% |
| Latvia | -1.157% |
| Spain | -0.763% |
| Slovenia | 0.219% |
| Luxembourg | 1.877% |
| Romania | 2.808% |
| Greece | 3.874% |
| Malta | 3.946% |
| Lithuania | 4.039% |
| Cyprus | 4.386% |
| Sweden | 5.563% |
