Wind turbines can be seen behind the houses in Marzahn, to the north.
© dpa
CO₂ emissions in Berlin fell again last year. They stood at around 13.4 million tonnes in 2024, according to preliminary figures released by the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office.
This was 3.7 per cent less than in the previous year. Compared with 1990, emissions were 54.3 per cent below the level at that time.
The country has set itself the target of reducing emissions by 70 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and by 90 per cent by 2040. To reach the first milestone, emissions would have to fall by a further five million tonnes within the next five years. The decline in emissions last year was driven by lower energy consumption in households. They consumed four per cent less than in the previous year, resulting in around six per cent less CO₂ emissions.
In the transport sector, however, emissions have risen. Road traffic increased by 0.4 per cent compared to 2023, to 3.6 million tonnes of CO₂. In air traffic in Berlin and Brandenburg, emissions rose by more than ten per cent to 1.45 million tonnes. That is around twice as much as in 1990. The overall decline in CO₂ emissions goes hand in hand with a drop in final energy consumption in Berlin. According to the Office for Statistics, it stood at 190,231 terajoules in 2024, 1.9 per cent less than in the previous year.
"Consumption of fossil fuels fell: by 3.0 per cent for mineral oils and by 4.2 per cent for gases," the Economic Administration said in a statement on the figures. In contrast, consumption of electricity and district heating rose by 0.7 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively. "Our goal is clear: we are working to make Berlin climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest. The current figures show that we are continuing to make progress in this direction," said Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) in response to the figures. Energy consumption fell, while Berlin's economic output grew by 0.8 per cent.