CO2 emissions in Europe have fallen 24% since 1990
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Renewable sources, energy saving and the economic crisis have made it possible to cut CO2 emissions by almost a quarter compared to 1990 levels.
CO2 emissions in Europe have fallen 24% since 1990
Renewable sources, energy saving and the economic crisis have made it possible to cut CO2 emissions by almost a quarter compared to 1990 levels.
The greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union fell by 4.1 per cent in 2014 compared to the previous year, and by 24.4 per cent compared to 1990. This is according to a report published by the European Environment Agency, which states that – in absolute terms – the EU's productive system is thus able to avoid releasing 1,383 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent into the environment each year.
"Now we must invest to leave fossil fuels behind"
"This is a positive result," commented Hans Bruyninckx, executive director of the European body, "and a step forward towards achieving the targets we have set for 2030 and 2050. At this point, to accelerate the transition towards a low-emission society, we need to increase investment in technologies capable of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels."
According to the report, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is due to a number of factors, among which the increased use of renewable energy sources, the use of fuels with a lower environmental impact, and greater energy saving stand out. Not to be overlooked are the more strictly economic drivers: in particular, the study cites certain structural changes in productive systems that have taken place over the years. It also underlines, however, how a far from negligible contribution to the decline in emissions has come from the recession and the consequent slowdown in productive activity.
CO2, the transport sector bucking the trend
"Energy demand for home heating has also fallen," explains the European agency, "due to the milder winters recorded on average since 1990." But not all sectors have been able to make their contribution. Road transport, for example, has not followed the virtuous trend: on the contrary, it has been responsible for an increase of 124 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the period in question (of which seven million in the period between 2013 and 2014 alone)."
Likewise, emissions linked to international air and maritime transport have not fallen either: the increase in this case amounted to 93 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. A further 99 million tonnes were also generated by the increased use of air conditioning systems.