EU Economy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Q1 2024, Eurostat, GDP

In the first quarter of 2024, the European Union recorded a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), marking a 4.0% decline from the same period in 2023. This reduction comes even as the EU's gross domestic product (GDP) showed a modest growth of 0.3% during the same period.

According to data published by Eurostat, the largest emissions reductions were observed in the electricity and gas supply sector (-12.6%) and households (-4.4%). Twenty EU countries reported lower emissions in Q1 2024 compared to the previous year, with Bulgaria (-15.2%), Germany (-6.7%), and Belgium (-6.0%) leading the way.

Of these 20 countries, eight also saw a decline in GDP, including Germany and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, the other 12 nations, including Spain, France, and Italy, successfully reduced emissions while still achieving economic growth.