EU records increase in greenhouse gas emissions amid economic recovery
Getty Images
According to fresh data from Eurostat, the European Union economy produced around 900 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (in terms of CO₂ equivalents) in the first quarter of 2025 - 3.4% more than in the same period in 2024. By comparison, EU GDP grew by 1.2 per cent over this period, emphasising the link between increased production and a growing carbon footprint.
The growth was led by the sectors "electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning" (+13.6%) and households (+5.6%). Emissions decreased in three sectors: industry (-0.2%), transport and logistics (-2.9%), and agriculture, forestry and fishing (-1.4%).
The geographical picture is also heterogeneous. Of the 27 EU countries, emissions fell in only seven: Malta showed a record reduction (-6.2 per cent), followed by Finland (-4.4 per cent) and Denmark (-4.3 per cent). In three countries - Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg - the reduction in emissions was accompanied by a fall in GDP, while in Denmark, Finland, Malta and Sweden the reduction in carbon footprint was combined with economic growth, indicating the possibility of "decoupling" of these indicators.
This data adds to the picture of quarterly emissions trends, which are now tracked alongside key macroeconomic indicators. However, against the backdrop of the EU's climate goals of reducing net emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the growth in the first quarter looks like a worrying signal that the energy transformation is not moving fast enough.
