Austria greenhouse gas emissions rise in 2025, exceeding EU targets

Austria's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 0.7 percent in 2025, reaching an estimated 67.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This increase follows four years of continuous decline and marks a significant setback for the country's climate goals.

According to the Environment Agency Austria (UBA) NowCast forecast, the emissions subject to the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) exceeded the EU-mandated limit of approximately 40.7 million tonnes by about 0.8 million tonnes. This breach could force the Austrian government to purchase additional emission certificates at the expense of the federal budget.

The rise is attributed to several factors: a 12 percent increase in heating degree days due to cooler weather, which led to higher consumption of heating oil and natural gas, and a significant decrease in electricity generation from hydropower. While emissions in the transport and general economy sectors decreased due to weak economic performance, emissions in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) sector rose by 6.9 percent, driven by power plants, the chemical, cement, and steel industries.