The Basque Country cuts its CO2 emissions since 2005

• The forecasts in the interim Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory of the Basque Country 2023 are looking good, with a drop of 8.4% on 2022 and the GDP up 1.8%
• This downturn is in line with the targets set by the new Basque Energy Transition and Climate Change Act to cut emissions by 45% by 2030
• For the first time, Ihobe has manage to estimate the GHG inventory data for the Basque Country with just a year apart

Ihobe, the Basque Government's environmental management agency, has unveiled the interim results of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) for 2023 and the forecasts are again positive. The Basque Country continues to reduce its emissions while posting greater economic growth. The downward trend in the Basque Country's emissions are thus consolidated with a decrease of 33% on 2005 and 18% on 1990.  

Furthermore, the 2023 emissions interim results show that economic growth does not mean a negative environmental impact: while GHG emissions continued to fall, the GDP was up by 1.8%, according to the estimates of the Basque Statistics Institute (Eustat).    

Even though the 2023 data will be updated in the forthcoming with the relevant statistical adjustments, the trend is seen to be in line with the emissions targets set by the Basque Government; specifically, with the recently passed new Energy Transition and Climate Change Act, which establishes the target of reducing emissions, with respect to 2005, by 45% by 2030.

General drop in all sectors 

Even though there is a general decrease in practically all sectors, the energy sector is the one with the greatest drop, which is estimated to be down 26% on the previous year due to the reduction in combined cycle electricity production, and it has returned to values prior to the 2022 energy crisis.   

It should be recalled that the low hydropower production and the rise in electricity exported to France and to Portugal led to a great demand for electricity produced by means of the combined cycle.  

Downturns are also expected in the industrial (3%), transport (1%), residential (18%), services (5%) and waste (1%) sectors.  

As regards the emissions of the regulated sectors, they fell by 21% in 2023 compared to 2022. This reduction would mainly be due to the drop that has also occurred in the electricity generation facilities (59% on 2022), which account for 18% of the total EU ETS emissions, in other words, those of the European Emission Trading Scheme.

Publication 'Interim Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory of the Basque Country 2023' (download available in Basque and Spanish)