The Basque Country has reduced its emissions by 38% since 2005 and has consolidated its path towards climate neutrality

The Basque Country continues moving towards climate neutrality. According to the progress report presented today by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory for 2024, the autonomous community has emitted 15.8 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2024, representing a reduction of 1% compared to the previous year and 38% compared to 2005. This positive development has occurred in a context of economic growth, with GDP increasing by 2.2% over the last year and 30% since 2005.

The decrease is mainly due to a 5% drop in emissions in the energy sector. The industrial sector has also reduced its emissions by 9%, as has the waste sector, which is estimated to have decreased emissions by 5%. However, the transport sector has increased its emissions by 6%, as has the residential sector by 4%, the services sector by 1% and the agriculture sector by 3%.

It is important to highlight that, compared to 2005, all sectors have reduced their emissions significantly (waste -57%, energy -56%, agriculture -51%, industry -50%, services -41%, residential -34%) with the exception of transport, which has increased its emissions by 15%, and it is also the sector with the highest contribution to total emissions in the Basque Country, 41%.

Within the sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme "EU ETS" (generally large, emission-intensive industrial or energy installations), emissions in this group have increased by 0.41% compared to 2023.

In terms of sequestration, the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector contributed a net sequestration of 2.6 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2023, the latest year for which data is available, reinforcing the role of natural sinks in the Basque Country's climate strategy.

According to this progress report, the Basque Country would have met the target of achieving a 30% reduction in emissions by 2024 set out in the Energy Transition and Climate Change Plan 2021-2024, and would be on track to achieve the target of reaching a reduction of 45% by 2030, set out in Law 1/2024, of 8th February, on Energy Transition and Climate Change.

About the Inventory

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory of the Basque Country is a statistical operation that the public company Ihobe compiles annually, indicating the quantity of gases emitted and absorbed in the territory, in order to monitor progress. 

The information is broken down by type of gas emitted, sector, emission source and it is presented in relation to GDP and the intensity of emissions.