Carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union hit a 30-year low in November this year, turning forecasts on their head that an increase in fossil fuel imports would have the opposite effect, a new report found.
The EU’s ongoing energy crisis, stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sparked concern that a subsequent scramble over fossil fuels would lead to an increase in the bloc’s emissions, according to the report published by the Center for Energy Research and Clean Air.
Yet emissions and coal consumption fell for the third time in a row in November, the Helsinki-based organization found.
The report, which was based on recording CO2 emissions within the EU in near real time, attributed these surprising developments to a “misunderstanding” about the purchase of resources and actual consumption.
The EU increased its imports of fossil fuels from around the world to replace lost supplies after Moscow suspended natural gas exports and the bloc in turn banned Russian coal imports, the authors explained. Meanwhile, weak nuclear and hydropower production led to an increase in demand for coal and gas in early 2022.
However, according to the report, the block also saw a dramatic drop in fossil fuel use, both in industry and in buildings.
According to
the authors, this decline is due to the impact of high prices on demand combined with an increase in wind and solar energy production.
According to the report, both coal and gas energy in the electricity sector fell in November compared to the previous year. The share of coal in thermal power generation rose, as the decline in gas generation was around four times as large as the fall in coal production.
However, according to the report, both solar and wind output hit new records in November.
“However, the main reason for the drop in emissions is the reduction in electricity and gas consumption, which is due to high prices,” the authors say.
The resulting cost-saving protective measures — such as lowering indoor temperatures — kept demand low, while relatively mild weather conditions did not have such a significant impact, according to the report.
As the colder month of December draws to a close, the authors found that emissions remained significantly below 2021 levels in the first half of the month.
“The sector continues to be plagued by poor nuclear power performance and wind conditions, which were also very unfavourable, but lower gas consumption outside the energy sector has caused emissions to fall overall,” the report concludes.