In 2024, emissions down 30% from 1990; fewer air pollutants thanks to energy efficiency and renewables

In 2024, national greenhouse gas emissions show a 30% reduction compared to 1990 levels and a 3.6% decrease compared to 2023, amounting to just over 360 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. This result is linked to the growing spread of renewable energy sources—particularly hydropower and wind energy—improvements in energy efficiency, and the gradual replacement of more carbon-intensive fuels with lower-carbon alternatives.

For 2025, however, a slight increase in emissions (0.3%) is expected, mainly due to greater reliance on natural gas for electricity generation, also in connection with a reduction in hydropower production. Emissions associated with coal use continue to decline, in line with decarbonization targets.

These are some of the data processed by ISPRA as part of the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and the Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory, submitted to European and international bodies, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

All information and related documents are available on the Emissions website.

Not all sectors show a reduction: emissions from transport—responsible for 31% of the national total and more than 90% linked to road transport—continue to rise and are more than 10% higher than in 1990. Together with transport, the sectors of energy production (18%), residential (18%), and manufacturing industry (13%) collectively account for around 80% of national emissions.

Since the early 2000s, a gradual decoupling between economic growth and CO₂ emissions has been observed: after a brief post-pandemic rebound, emissions have returned to declining while GDP continues to grow, reinforcing this trend.