Last year the emissions of greenhouse gases fell less fast than in the years before: in 2024 the emissions of greenhouse gases were 1.6 percent lower than in the previous year, while the decrease in 2023 and 2022 was more than 7 percent. This is according to figures that the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Wednesday published.
The limited decrease in emissions last year is mainly due to an increase in emissions from industry. That increase, of 1.5 percent, seems small, but weighs heavy. With 33 percent of the total of the largest share of all sectors in the emission of greenhouse gases, the industry has.
In the electricity sector, emissions did decrease compared to 2023: by 3 percent. Especially in the first half of last year, more electricity was extracted from solar and wind energy. As a result, there was less need for gas use and burning coal.
Climate agreement
In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions were 37 percent lower than in 1990, writes the CBS. 1990 is a reference year of the Climate Agreement: in 2030 the emissions must be 55 percent lower than forty years before. All sectors have started to emit less since the conclusion of the Climate Agreement.
A decrease of 55 percent means a decrease of 125 megaton in CO2. Between 1990 and 2023 the emissions fell by an average of 2.5 megaton per year, in 2024 that was 2 megaton. To achieve the goals set in the climate agreement, the emissions have to fall by 7 megaton every year.