CO2 emissions intensity continues to decline among Germany’s economic sectors – report

Germany's major economic sectors, including energy supply, mining, manufacturing and agriculture, emitted 205 kilograms of CO2 per 1,000 euros of gross value added in 2020, down 8.4 percent from a year earlier, according to a new report by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The report examines the emission intensity of the country's economic sectors, which also include water supply and waste management, construction and services. The emission intensity had steadily decreased in the preceding years, falling 26.6 percent from 304 kilograms of CO2 per 1,000 euros of gross value added in 2010 to 224 by 2019. The energy supply industry had the highest emissions intensity in 2020 with 4,506 kilograms of CO2 per 1,000 euros of gross value added. The sector also had the highest absolute CO2 emissions in 2020: 228.7 million tonnes, or 40 percent of total emissions.

A government report last year concluded that total greenhouse gas emissions dropped nearly 9 percent in 2020 -- the largest annual fall since 1990 – due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.