EU greenhouse gas emissions drop 5% in the second quarter

Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union fell by more than 5% in the second quarter of 2023, with the biggest decline recorded in electricity and gas supply, statistics agency Eurostat said on Wednesday.

The EU's emissions between April to June amounted to 821 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, down 5.3% from a year earlier, while the bloc's economy remained almost stable, registering a year-on-year variation of 0.05% in the period.

Electricity and gas supply, the sector whose emissions fell the most (-22%), contributed 15.5% to the total figure, while agriculture accounted for 14.3% and transportation and storage for 12.8%.

The EU has among the most ambitious climate change policies of any major economy, having passed laws to deliver its 2030 target to cut net emissions by 55% from 1990 levels, which analysts say is the minimum needed to reach net zero...