Record drop in CO2 emissions for Dutch big polluters; Aviation's emissions up 11%

The CO2 emissions of 345 big polluters in the Netherlands dropped by over 13 percent to 58.9 million tons last year. That is a record annual decrease, the Dutch Emissions Authority (NEa) reported. The energy sector saw the biggest drop, while the aviation sector’s emissions increased by 11 percent, NOS reports.

The energy sector - responsible for the largest share of CO2 emissions - saw its emissions fall by 5.7 million tons compared to 2022. The sector accounted for over two-thirds of the total decrease last year.

The big drop is due to energy companies generating more electricity from renewable sources and less from fossil fuels. That is striking, given that the government lifted restrictions on coal-fired power stations last year due to concerns about the security of the electricity supply. According to the NEa, the four Dutch coal power plants emitted 4.6 million tons less CO2 than in 2022.

CO2 emissions in the aviation sector increased by 11 percent last year. It concerns flights within the European Economic Area by airlines that fall under Dutch supervision. The fact that planes are becoming cleaner cannot outweigh the increased number of flights, the NEa said. The aviation sector’s CO2 emissions are approaching the sector’s pre-pandemic peak again.

The Dutch industry also decreased its CO2 emissions last year. The NEa attributes that largely to maintenance on one of Tata Steel’s blast furnaces. The steel manufacturer is the largest CO2 emitter in the Netherlands. Last year, Tata Steel emitted over 4.5 million tons of CO2, down from 5.8 million tons in 2022.

The decrease in industry emissions is also partly due to many other industrial companies producing less due to high energy prices and increased raw material costs. That decrease is, therefore, not due to sustainability efforts, the NEa said. More innovation is needed at industrial companies to permanently reduce CO2 emissions, the authority said.

The NEa monitors the Dutch companies that fall under the European Emissions Trading System (ETS). European companies in several sectors are only allowed to emit CO2 if they have CO2 certificates for those emissions. The European Union distributes fewer of these certificates every year to force emissions to decrease. Companies can trade these certificates with each other.

Around 10,000 companies throughout Europe are subject to the ETS, including 345 in the Netherlands. The Dutch ETS companies account for about half of the country's CO2 emissions.