Good news sometimes hides a more complicated reality. On June 26, 2024, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced that the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions had fallen by 5.3% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. relies on figures from Citepa, an association fighting against climate change and atmospheric pollution.
A major emitter of GHGs, the building sector is one of those which has contributed to this overall decline. A positive result at first glance. However, looking more closely at the causes of these developments, it appears that they depend little on government public policies, but rather on climate change and the new construction crisis.
Winter 2023-2024, particularly mild
According to figures put forward by the ministry, the building experienced a 7.1% drop in its GHG emissions in the first quarter of 2024. This is largely explained by the milder temperatures recorded from January to March. , limiting the heating needs of the French and consequently their energy consumption. Heating emissions thus decreased by 7.8%. However, Météo-France reminded us in February that it was winter.the 3rd hottest ever measured” in the country since measurements began in 1900.
A stopped sector is a sector which does not emit
The ministry also indicates that industrial emissions fell by 5.6% in industry, including -7.6% for construction. Here again, this development can be explained by a less positive situation: the crisis that new construction has been going through for several months. In fact, a stopped sector is a sector which does not emit. This therefore has an impact on the figures presented by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
