Greek gas emissions were among the top four member states that increased CO2 emissions in contrast to the European Union average, which managed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 4% in the first quarter of 2024, according to data released by the EU’s statistical authority, Eurostat.
In detail, Greek gas emissions increased by 1.4%, ranking behind Malta (+8.7%), Lithuania (+7.4%), and Latvia (+5.6%).
Greece is also among the six EU countries that increased their greenhouse gas emissions alongside economic growth, while many other countries managed to reduce emissions despite growing GDP.
In the first quarter of 2024, EU greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tons of CO2 equivalent, marking a 4.0% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2023 (931 million tons of CO2-eq).
The EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) remained stable, showing only a slight increase of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of 2023.
The quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions complement quarterly socio-economic data, such as GDP or employment.
The largest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are estimated in Bulgaria (-15.2%), Germany (-6.7%), and Belgium (-6.0%).
Out of the 20 EU members estimated to have cut their emissions, 8 also recorded a decrease in their GDP (Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, and Finland). The other 12 EU countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Croatia) are estimated to have reduced emissions while increasing their GDP.
