The Basque Country continues to reduce its emissions while its economic growth increases
19/06/2024
For the first time, the Basque Government's Public Company for Environmental Management, Ihobe, has managed to make progress in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, with just one year’s difference, and the forecasts once again show positive data: The Basque Country continues to reduce its emissions while increasing its economic growth.
The downward trend in emissions in the Basque Country continued in 2023: forecasts for last year estimate that emissions were around 17 million tonnes, a decrease of 33% compared to 2005 and 8.4% less than the previous year.
The emissions progress for 2023 also shows that economic growth does not have a negative environmental impact: while GHG emissions continue to fall, GDP has increased by 1.8%, according to estimates by the Basque Statistical Institute (Eustat).
Although the data for 2023 will be updated next year with the corresponding statistical adjustments, the trend is already in line with the objectives set by the Basque Government in terms of emissions and, more specifically, with the recently approved new Energy Transition and Climate Change Law, which establishes the objective of reducing emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2005.
General reduction in all sectors
The difference in GHG emissions of 1.5 million tonnes between 2022 and 2023 is mainly due to the energy sector, where a 26% decrease compared to the previous year is estimated, due to a reduction in combined cycle electricity production and a tendency towards values prior to the energy crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine. Reductions are also expected in the industrial sector (3%), transport (1%), residential (18%), services (5%) and waste (1%).
Emissions from the regulated sectors decreased by 21% in 2023, compared to 2022. The study concludes that this reduction would largely be a result of the decrease that has also occurred in power generation installations (59% compared to 2022), which account for 18% of all EU ETS emissions. Since its implementation in 2005, the Basque Country has achieved a 49% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the regulated sectors.
