German emissions were at their lowest point in around 70 years, as the country managed to reduce its dependence on coal faster than expected, according to a study published on January 4 showed.

German emitted 673 million tonnes of the greenhouse gases in 2023, 73 million tonnes lower than 2022, showed data from the energy think tank Agora Energiewende.

This marked a lowest level since the 1950s, noting the drop was "largely attributable to a strong decrease in coal power generation," Agora said.

After Russia cut off its gas supplies to Germany due to its conflict with Ukraine, Germany had restored to coal, and managed to scale down its use significantly.

Data showed electricity generation from renewables in Germany was over 50% of the total in 2023 for the first time, while coal's share dropped to 26% from 34%, the federal network agency showed on January 3.

The cut in coal use accounted for a reduction of 46 million tonns in carbon dioxide emissions, the think tank estimated.

The renewables record brought Germany closer to its target to produce 80% of its electricity from wind and solar by 2030, Agora chief Simon Mueller said.

The reduction in emissions however also reflected the frailty of German industry, while economic growth has hovered around zero.

Industrial emissions fell by 20 million tons, a,s production in energy-intensive industries dropped sharply.

The decrease was however "not a sustainable development" Mueller said.

In all, the think tank estimated that only 15% of the reduction in 2023 constituted a "permanent emissions savings."

(Writing by Rebecca Liu  Editing by Harry Huo)
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