The European Commission’s climate action report, published on Thursday, revealed that EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by more than 8 percent in 2023. The fall was primarily due to an increase in the share of renewable energy.
EC spokesman Tim McPhie told journalists that, at this pace, the EU will meet its target of reducing emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, writes Polskie Radio 24.
Aside from 2020, when emissions fell by a record 9.8 percent due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions introduced by member states, this was the biggest annual drop in emissions in decades, said the European Commission.
Meanwhile, some countries that have not successfully shifted to renewables are suffering under the EU’s climate policies due to the high prices of electricity and gas or the high fees of using coal. Poland is in a particularly vulnerable position, as gas fuel accounts for 45 percent of the country’s energy system.
Other countries, like Slovakia, are ramping up their nuclear energy sector, while Hungary has reiterated the urgency of bringing its Paks 2 nuclear power plant online due to last summer’s heatwave.
