Green Progress: Belgium’s Industry and Aviation Emissions Drop by 10 Percent Due to Economic Downturn

Last year, the CO₂ emissions from major industry and aviation in our country decreased by more than 10 percent, marking the largest drop since the financial crisis. The significant decrease was largely due to a downturn in the industry.

In particular, energy-intensive companies emitted 4.26 million tons of greenhouse gases less last year compared to the previous year, representing a decrease of 10.5 percent. This measurement is in CO₂ equivalents, which is a measure that converts the impact of all greenhouse gases into the impact in CO₂. At the European level, the decline was even more pronounced at 15.5 percent.

The data includes companies within the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), such as major cement and steel producers, chemical installations, refineries, power stations, and airlines for intra-European flights. These companies are required to produce an emission allowance for every tonne of CO₂ they emit, which is recorded in the greenhouse gas register. Over 280 industrial installations and power plants in Belgium are subject to emissions trading, along with intra-European flights, representing about 40 percent of all CO₂ emissions in the country.

The industry’s decline can be attributed to high energy prices and weak demand, leading many companies to scale back production. For example, the chemical sector saw a significant reduction in production capacity due to these factors. Additionally, industries have been focusing on producing energy more efficiently with stable greenhouse gas emissions despite increased production since 2004. Furthermore, two large industrial installations underwent maintenance work last year contributing to this decrease in emissions.