Europe’s CO2 emissions drop in line with lower fossil fuel use

A wind farm in Germany. (Innogy)

Europe’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion fell by 2.5% year on year in 2018 after a 1.8% rise in 2017, new data shows, as renewables and hydropower took market share from coal and gas in some countries. 

The new estimates from EU statistics agency Eurostat, which include emissions from power generation and road transport, seem to be in line with recent data from the European Commission. The commission’s estimates suggest CO2 emissions from sectors covered by the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) – which...