Austria’s greenhouse gas emissions decrease by 6.4% in 2023

Austria recorded a significant 6.4% year-on-year reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, amounting to a total of 69.9 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents. This marks a substantial drop from the 74.6 million tonnes recorded in 2022, and places emissions 1.1% below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to provisional data published by Statistics Austria.

The reduction in emissions was largely driven by notable declines in the energy supply sector, which cut its emissions by 16.8%, and the industrial sector, which saw a 7.3% decrease. The energy sector’s reduction is attributed primarily to a significant drop in the use of natural gas and coal for electricity and heat production. Industry emissions were impacted by a decline in energy-intensive manufacturing output.

The transport sector, which has historically been the largest source of emissions in Austria, posted a modest 1.6% reduction in 2023. Although this sector still accounts for approximately 30% of total emissions, the drop suggests a slight improvement in fuel efficiency and potentially increased adoption of alternative mobility solutions.

Emissions from households and the services sector fell by 4.5%, reflecting reduced heating requirements due to milder winter temperatures and continued improvements in building energy efficiency. Emissions from agriculture remained relatively stable with a slight increase of 0.3%, while the waste management sector recorded a modest decline of 1.4%.

Austria’s total GHG emissions for 2023 were 3.6 million tonnes below the average level for the years 2015 to 2021, highlighting a potentially sustained downward trend. The data reflect emissions from sectors covered under the EU Effort Sharing Regulation (non-ETS) as well as those subject to emissions trading (ETS), with both contributing to the overall decline.

Source: OECD