Greenhouse gas emissions at their lowest level since the 1950s

Berlin (dpa) – According to preliminary calculations by the think tank Agora Energiewende, Germany produced smaller amounts of greenhouse gases last year than at any time in the course of the last seven decades. It says that CO₂ emissions fell by 73 million tonnes compared to 2022 to a total of 673 million tonnes – a decrease of 46 percent compared to 1990. This is the conclusion of a study entitled “The energy transition in Germany: the status as of 2023”.

“In 2023, emissions reached their lowest level since the 1950s. This is also the biggest year-on-year decline in this entire period,” Agora’s Germany Director Simon Müller told the German Press Agency. The authors of the study attribute around 15 percent of the decline to permanent savings, for example as a result of the expansion of renewable energies, more efficient use of energy in general, and the switch to more climate-friendly fuels. Around half can be attributed to short-term effects such as lower levels of electricity consumption.