A coal-fired power plant / Image: No Glory Images.
Greenhouse gas emissions fell at “a lower rate in the second quarter than in the first,” announces the Citepa association. In the second quarter of 2024, the drop recorded is 2.1% compared to the same quarter of 2023.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in France continue their downward trajectory in 2024. According to the latest Citepa barometer, emissions fell by 2.1% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This reduction is in line with the 4.9% drop observed in the first quarter of 2024, although it remains a little lower. Among the sectors contributing the most to this reduction, electricity plays a determining role.
Evolution of the electricity sector
The energy sector, and more specifically electricity production, recorded a notable reduction in its emissions in the first half of 2024. The Citepa report highlights a significant 14% drop in emissions in the second quarter of 2024, after an even sharper reduction of 16% in the first quarter. This performance is directly linked to the growing share of renewable energies and nuclear power in the French energy mix. At the same time, the use of fossil fuels has reached a historic low, representing only 1.4% of electricity production, mainly from gas, while fossil thermal power plants have almost all ceased their activity.
The evolution of emissions from the electricity sector reflects a continuous decarbonization effort initiated in recent years. Biomass replaces fossil thermal sources and renewables stabilize at 30% of the electricity mix.
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Other sectors in decline
Besides electricity, other sectors also contributed to the reduction of emissions in 2024. Transport, the second largest emitter, recorded a decrease of 1.2% in the second quarter, mainly due to lower emissions from diesel vehicles. Citepa bases its calculations on the sale of fuel. The manufacturing industry also contributed with a reduction of 2.6% in the second quarter, after a more significant drop in the first quarter (5%).
On the other hand, the buildings sector, often influenced by heating demand, saw its rate of reduction slow down in the second quarter, with a decrease of only 0.7%, after a drop of 6.8% in the first quarter. “The reduction trajectory to reach the new provisional target of 270 MtCO2e [mégatonnes d’équivalent CO2, NDLR] in 2030 excluding carbon sinks (presented in 2023 upstream of the future SNBC3) implies a necessary reduction of 4.7% per year between 2022 and 2030”. However, in the first half of 2024 alone, emissions were 189 tonnes of CO2e.
