“Burn, Baby, Burn” – As Net Zero costs mount in the UK, the EU does ‘net zero’

The EU’s fossil fuel use has just increased for the second year running

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024

Despite Ursula von der Leyen’s ‘Green Deal’, EU countries are burning more, not less

Since 2020 the EU’s energy consumption from fossil fuels has been rising. As the debate in the United Kingdom continues to rage over the costs of transitioning to being a Net Zero country, in the EU they are talking a good game but delivering the opposite.

At every opportunity, the statements coming out of Brussels refer to such-and-such a policy as being “in support of the Commission’s Green Deal”.

Facts4EU sorts out the rhetoric from the reality and finds the EU’s results sadly wanting.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

EU’s energy consumption from fossil fuels has risen again

  • For the second consecutive year the EU’s energy share from fossil fuels has increased
  • In EU countries up to 96% of energy comes from these sources
  • This is despite Ursula von der Leyen’s No.1 priority being her ‘Green Deal’
  • For over 30 years the EU’s reliance on fossil fuels has barely moved

[Source : EU Commission (Eurostat), 30 Jan 2024.]

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2024 - click to enlarge

Still burning like there’s no tomorrow

In 2022, the EU’s reliance on fossil fuels for its overall energy supply stood at 70.9%, as illustrated by the ratio of fossil fuels in gross available energy. This is the total energy demand of a country or region.

In the EU this percentage grew in both 2021 and 2022, the latest years for which data is available.

The EU’s Top 10 worst offenders

The picture across the EU is mixed, as ever. Some EU27 countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels while others, e.g. Sweden, are much less so. Below we show the ‘worst offenders’, which include Germany. That country has just closed its last remaining nuclear power plants so the figure will be even worse when the next release come out.

  1. Malta : 96.1%
  2. Cyprus : 89.3%
  3. Netherlands : 87.6%
  4. Ireland : 87.4%
  5. Poland : 87.1%
  6. Greece : 83.4%
  7. Germany : 80.3%
  8. Italy : 79.1%
  9. Luxembourg : 77.1%
  10. Spain : 74.1%

[Source : EU Commission (Eurostat), 30 Jan 2024.]

Back in April last year Facts4EU.Org warned about this

Below is something we published nine months ago, which might interest new readers.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Germany’s use of coal to power itself, compared with the UK, 2022

  • Germany : 31.0%
  • UK : 1.6%
  • Germany’s use of coal to generate electricity is over 19 times that of the UK

[Source : Our World in Data/Ember, Oxford University, accessed 17 Apr 2023.]

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2023 - click to enlarge

The chart above shows two things :-

  • The very small reduction in Germany’s use of coal to power itself
  • The recent increase in Germany’s use of coal to generate electricity

Observations

When EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was parachuted into Brussels by Angela Merkel in 2019, her policy agenda on which she was appointed by the EU Council was clear. Her No.1 priority was her ‘Green Deal’.

Scarcely a day goes by when she doesn’t mention this.

Given this is her top priority, the latest figures produced by the EU’s official statistics agency can only have come as a massive blow. Naturally the Commission did not trumpet the information.

Meanwhile in the UK we continue to face massive bills for the transition to a Net Zero economy.

And finally, as it's Sunday...

As regular readers know, on Sundays we generally feature a little musical treat for readers which is some way linked to the topic of our report. Today we bring you Arthur Brown, with his 1968 hit "Fire".

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[ Sources: EU Commission ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sun 04 Feb 2024

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