Despite a general decrease in greenhouse gas emissions at the national level, an increase was observed during the last half-year. What happened to get there?
Tl;dr
- The decline in gas emissions in France slows down in 2024.
- Building and transport are responsible for this increase.
- Citepa recommends a constant reduction to achieve climate objectives.
A worrying slowdown
After a significant decline in 2023, the reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in France shows signs of slowing down in 2024. Indeed, slight growth was observed in the third quarter, mainly due to the construction industry and transport.
Worrying figures
According to Citepa, the organization responsible for establishing France's carbon footprint, national emissions increased by 0.5% year-on-year in the third quarter, despite a drop of 5% and 2.2% in the first two quarters. . “The trend over 12 rolling months is -3.1% (moving year)”, specifies Citepa, although these data remain provisional.
The culprits: construction and transport
The slowdown in emissions reduction over nine months comes mainly from the construction and transport sectors. The latter have seen their emissions increase in recent months. The construction sector particularly weighed on the balance sheet for the third quarterwith an increase of 11.8%. This increase is explained by the increase in emissions linked to the heating of residential and tertiary buildings in September 2024.
Efforts required to achieve objectives
To achieve the objective of 270 million tonnes (Mt) CO2 equivalent in 2030, set by the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), a annual reduction of 4.7% (i.e. -16 Mt CO2e/year on average) between 2022 and 2030 is necessary, recalls Citepa. By 2023, all sectors had contributed to the drop in emissions. This dynamic must continue to maintain a decarbonization trajectory compatible with the objectives of the SNBC.
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