Fossil fuels: Greece one of the few EU countries with an increase in emissions in 2024
Overall, the European Union may have managed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 4% in the first quarter of 2024, but Greece was among the top four member states that increased their emissions.
Specifically, Greece increased its emissions by 1.4% and was behind Malta (+8.7%), Lithuania (+7.4%) and Latvia (+5.6%), as shown by the data released by the European statistical agency Eurostat.
Greece is also one of six EU countries that have increased their greenhouse gas emissions alongside an increase in their GDP, when many other countries have achieved emission reductions even as their GDP increased.
Greece increased its emissions by 1.4% and was behind only Malta, Lithuania and Latvia
In particular, in the first quarter of 2024, EU greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq), recording a decrease of 4.0% compared to the same quarter of 2023 (931 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent).
EU gross domestic product (GDP) remained stable, growing only slightly (0.3% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same quarter of 2023).
It is noted that quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions complement quarterly socio-economic data such as GDP or employment.
In the first quarter of 2024, the economic sectors that achieved the largest decreases compared to the first quarter of 2023 were the supply of electricity and natural gas (-12.6%) and households (-4.4%).
Which countries have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions?
In the period under review, greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to have fallen in 20 EU countries, compared to the same quarter in 2023.
The largest reductions in greenhouse gases are estimated in Bulgaria (-15.2%), Germany (-6.7%) and Belgium (-6.0%).
Of the 20 EU members estimated to have reduced their emissions, 8 also recorded a reduction in their GDP (Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria and Finland). The other 12 EU countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Croatia) are estimated to have succeeded in reducing emissions by increasing their GDP.
OT.gr-Pagenews
