Publication of the provisional greenhouse gas emissions balance for 2024
The Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity has just published the provisional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions balance for 2024. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has succeeded in meeting its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the fifth consecutive year. The results show a continued fall in emissions, thus respecting the emissions budget set for 2024.
Total emissions
The provisional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions balance for 2024 attributed to Luxembourg under Regulation (EU) 2018/842 is estimated at 6,779,940 tonnes of CO2. These estimates are subject to change, mainly due to the regular updating of the Statec energy balance, with definitive data and calculations for 2024.
According to the provisional balance sheet, GHG emissions in 2024 will be down by almost 100,000 tonnes of CO2, or 1.5 %, compared with 2023. They are 12 % below the 2020 level, a year marked by containment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and 26.7 % below the 2019 level. Compared with the 2005 reference year, emissions have fallen by 33 %.
Total provisional emissions for 2024 are 2.75 % (192,000 tonnes of CO2) below the 2024 issue allocation set under the grand-ducal regulation of 22 June 2022 determining the annual greenhouse gas emission allocations for the period until 31 December 2030 for the sectors referred to in article 5 of the amended law of 15 December 2020 on the climate.
The issue budget for 2024 has been respected.
It should be noted that the GHG emissions allocated to Luxembourg under the aforementioned Regulation (EU) 2018/842 do not include emissions from industrial installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Between 2023 and 2024, emissions reported by ETS installations fell by 6.6 % from 890,000 tonnes to 831,000 tonnes, a reduction of 59,000 tonnes.
Emissions by sector
For the «transport» and «agriculture and forestry» sectors, the emissions allocations for 2024 have been respected, while for the «energy and manufacturing industries, construction», «residential and tertiary buildings» and «waste and wastewater treatment» sectors, they have been exceeded. By sector, emissions have evolved as follows:
- «transport»: this sector accounts for 59.1 % of total emissions; emissions are down by 1.4 % compared with 2023 and by 35 % compared with 2019, and are 11 % below the emission allowance for 2024;
- «residential and tertiary buildings»: this sector accounts for 19.7 % of total emissions; emissions are 3 % lower than in 2023 and 17 % lower than in 2019, and are 11.6 % above the emission allowance for 2024;
- «Agriculture and forestry»: this sector accounts for 10.8 % of total emissions; emissions are up slightly (3 %) compared with 2023 and down slightly (1 %) compared with 2019, and are 1 % below the emission allowance for 2024;
- «Energy and manufacturing industries, construction»: this sector accounts for 7.8 % of total emissions; emissions are down slightly (1.5 %) compared with 2023 and down slightly (1 %) compared with 2019, with emissions 38 % above the emission allowance for 2024;
- «waste and wastewater treatment»: this sector accounts for 2.6 % of total emissions; emissions are down by 4 % compared with 2023 and by 12 % compared with 2019, and are 9.2 % above the emission allowance for 2024.
The provisional emissions report will be analysed by the Interministerial Committee for Climate Action to assess the progress made at national level and by sector.
The final report for 2024, based on the final data from the GHG emissions inventory, will be published no later than 15 March 2026.
Background: the amended Climate Act of 15 December 2020
La amended law of 15 December 2020 on the climate retains, in addition to the objective of climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target at national level of 55 % by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. This target concerns all emissions allocated to Luxembourg under Regulation (EU) 2018/842. Only emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (around twenty large industrial installations and aviation) are excluded.
The aforementioned law also stipulates that emission reduction targets are to be set, by means of Grand-Ducal regulation, for the five sectors listed above, the boundaries of which are precisely defined in the appendix to the amended law of 15 December 2020. The grand-ducal regulation of 22 June 2022 determining the annual greenhouse gas emission allocations for the period until 31 December 2030 for the sectors referred to in article 5 of the amended law of 15 December 2020 on the climate implements article 5 of the amended law of 15 December 2020.
The provisional greenhouse gas emissions balance for 2024 is now available here.
