In 2019, EU fossil CO₂ emissions fell while global emissions continued to rise, according to JRC

Fossil CO₂ emissions from the EU Member States and the UK fell in 2019, while globally, these emissions continued to rise, but at a slightly slower pace, according to a study published on 9 September by the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The study confirms that the EU has succeeded in decoupling economic growth from emissions contributing to climate change.

It shows that EU and UK CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion decreased by 3.8% in 2019 compared to the previous year. 

This brings the reduction in EU and UK CO₂ emissions to 25% below 1990 levels. It should be reminded that the EU’s climate target was a 20% reduction in 2020 compared to 1990, the reference year.

This is the largest reduction recorded among the world’s highest-emitting economic zones. The study also highlights a downward trend in CO₂ emissions per capita and per monetary production intensity across Europe.

These data are the results of the latest updates of the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), a tool developed by the JRC to support policy impact assessment and climate negotiations. This tool provides a benchmark against which national and global estimates can be compared. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)