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How Europe reduced its greenhouse gas emissions last year

The European Union's. greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5% last year, main information. released today showed, continuing a trend of declining. emissions in Europe.

WHY IT is essential

Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, where. environment change is currently intensifying droughts, wildfires and. deadly heatwaves.

Having actually set legally-binding targets to decrease its. contribution to global warming, the 27-country EU is now. grappling with how to fulfill them - and who will pay.

The EU has committed to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 55%. by 2030, from 1990 levels.

THE NUMBERS

EU nations churned out 3.4 billion tons of all greenhouse. gas emissions in 2015, 5.1% less than in 2022, . analysis of Eurostat information reveal.

For contrast, the world's overall co2 emissions. from burning nonrenewable fuel sources increased to around 37 billion heaps in. 2023.

CONTEXT

Development on suppressing emissions varies by sector.

Power generation emissions are falling fastest, and the. sector is on track to meet EU climate objectives.

EU emissions from power, gas, steam generation and air. conditioning plunged by around 18% in 2023, compared with 2022,. thanks to a shift to more renewable energy. Overall electricity. need also fell due to lower commercial output and moderate. weather condition.

Other sectors are lagging. Emissions from transportation,. building and construction and mining hardly budged last year, while emissions. from farming increased somewhat.

WHAT'S NEXT

The next European Commission and EU federal governments face tough. decisions on how to bring other sectors in line with environment. goals.

While industry, power plants and transport currently face. difficult EU environment policies, some policymakers have called for. green policies to be reduced. Brussels weakened green guidelines for. farming following protests by farmers.

Farming is the odd one out, stated Linda Kalcher,. Executive Director at think-tank Strategic Point of views, pointing out. a present lack of EU climate policies targeting farming.

(source: Reuters)