Associated Press Finance

Germany's CO2 emissions are at their lowest in 7 decades, study shows

GEIR MOULSON
Thu, Jan 4, 2024, 5:29 AM EST3 min read

BERLIN (AP) — Carbon dioxide emissions in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, dropped to their lowest level in seven decades as the use of coal declined unexpectedly sharply in 2023 and economic pressures weighed down production by energy-intensive industry, according to a study released Thursday. ... Germany aims to cut its emissions to net zero by 2045 and is working to ramp up the use of solar and wind power and other renewable sources.

The Agora Energiewende think tank said its preliminary calculations show that Germany emitted 673 million metric tons of CO2 last year, a decline of 73 million metric tons compared with 2022 and the lowest level since the 1950s. The figure was 46% below the country's emissions in 1990.

On Tuesday, Germany's Federal Network Agency said that renewable energy sources accounted for more than half of the country's energy production in 2023. Renewables rose to 56% of energy production, from 47.4% in 2022. At the same time, electricity production using black coal dropped to 8.9% from 12.8%, and lignite-fired electricity declined to 17.4% from 21%.

Germany switched off its last three nuclear power plants in April — a long-planned move, though some argued for a rethink after energy prices spiked because of the war in Ukraine. Nuclear power accounted for 1.5% of energy production in 2023, down from 6.7% the previous year. ... More than half of last year's reduction in emissions — some 44 million metric tons — was down to coal-fired electricity production falling to its lowest level since the 1960s, Agora said. That in turn was caused by a drop in electricity demand and increased imports from neighboring countries, around half of which came from renewable energy sources.

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