Bulgaria experienced the largest decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among European Union countries in the second quarter of 2023, with a 23.7% decline compared to the previous year. This reduction follows a 15.7% decrease reported in the first quarter.
Estonia and the Netherlands were the only other EU countries to report a double-digit decline in GHG emissions, with Estonia showing a 23.1% reduction and the Netherlands reporting a 10.3% decrease, according to Eurostat data.
Czechia (-8.2%), Poland (-7.8%), Slovenia (-7.4%), Romania (-7.2%), and Germany (-6.8%) were among the other EU countries to post notable declines.
In the second quarter, GHG emissions declined in a total of 21 European countries when compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
Total GHG emissions
The total GHG emissions for the European Union in Q2 amounted to 821 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), reflecting a decrease of -5.3% in comparison to the same quarter of the previous year (867 million tonnes of CO2-eq).
Conversely, some countries experienced increases in GHG emissions, including Malta (+7.7%), Latvia (+4.5%), Ireland (+3.6%), Lithuania (+3.0%), Cyprus (+1.7%), and Croatia (+1.0%).
Emissions by business sector
Breaking down emissions by business sector in the second quarter of 2023, the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions were the manufacturing sector (23.5%), households (17.9%), electricity and gas supply (15.5%), agriculture (14.3%), and transportation and storage (12.8%).
The most substantial reduction was observed in the ‘electricity, gas supply’ sector, with a noteworthy decrease of 22.0%.
In contrast, the ‘transportation and storage’ sector saw a modest increase of 1.7%, the data showed.
Emissions reduction in Q2 2023
| Country | GHG Emissions Reduction In Q2 2023 (%) |
|---|---|
| Bulgaria | -23.7% |
| Estonia | -23.1% |
| Netherlands | -10.3% |
| Czechia | -8.2% |
| Poland | -7.8% |
| Slovenia | -7.4% |
| Romania | -7.2% |
| Germany | -6.8% |
| Finland | -5.9% |
| Hungary | -5.4% |
