Briefing

Renewable energy in Europe: key for climate objectives, but air pollution needs attention

Briefing Published 19 Dec 2019 Last modified 31 Jul 2023

8 min read

Photo: © Vyacheslav Popov, NATURE@work /EEA

The European energy system is undergoing rapid changes to set the EU economy on a low-carbon and resource-efficient path. Renewable energy is instrumental to this transformation. EU efforts to double the share of renewable energy in its consumption have paid off, having reduced significantly the amount of fossil fuels used and their associated greenhouse gas emissions. Concerning air pollutant emissions however, the outcomes were not always positive: in countries where biomass burning has increased considerably since 2005, emissions of certain air pollutants have also increased. This briefing presents an estimate of the impact of renewable energy consumption on fossil fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and air pollution since 2005.

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Disclaimer

The country assessments are the sole responsibility of the EEA member and cooperating countries supported by the EEA through guidance, translation and editing.

For references, please go to https://eea.europa.eu./publications/renewable-energy-in-europe-key/renewable-energy-in-europe-key or scan the QR code.

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