Greenhouse gas emissions in France have decreased by 4.8% in 2023, announces Christophe Béchu

This reduction “applies to all sectors”, particularly with regard to buildings and industry, even if it is “more modest in transport”, notes the Minister of Ecological Transition.

Christophe Béchu welcomes a “record year”. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continued to decline in France, recording a drop of 4.8% in 2023 compared to 2022, the Minister of Ecological Transition announced on Wednesday March 20 on the TF1 set. “In a single year”it’s about “almost the entire drop” recorded “in France between 2012 and 2017”, according to him.

This decline comes after a drop of 4.6% already observed over the first nine months of 2023, itself following a decline of 2.7% over the whole of 2022. This drop in GHG “valid in all sectors”particularly with regard to buildings and industry, even if it is “more modest in transport”, “around 2%”announced Christophe Béchu. “Structurally, this is proof that ecological planning, the measures that are being undertaken, are starting to produce effects”he says.

“Not at all the time to let our guard down”

In May, France announced that it wanted to reduce its GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 to comply with European commitments, which implies considerably increasing the rate of reductions. By 2050, it aims for carbon neutrality. “The ambition of ecological planning given by the President of the Republic is to say that after doubling the decline between 2017 and 2022, we must again [la] double between 2022 and 2030″continued Christophe Béchu.

“This year, 2023, is on track with the pace that we must maintain until the end of the decade. So this is not at all the time to let our guard down”, he assured. The figures, usually published by Citepa, an organization mandated to draw up the French GHG inventory each quarter, are only raw emissions which do not take into account the impact of carbon sinks such as forests or peatlands, including the condition is very degraded.