Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Italy on the Rise Despite Lower Energy Consumption, Says Report
Despite reduced energy use, Italy's greenhouse gas emissions are increasing, indicating a shift toward high-emission energy sources.
According to a report from Italy's National Agency for New Technology, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), the total amount of energy used in Italy this year will be about 1.5% less than that of 2021. Despite this, greenhouse gas emissions are likely to increase by over 8% by the end of the year.
Italy recently announced that the University of Bologna, which is the oldest university in the world, will host a new branch of the UN University that will work to fight climate change.
Italy's energy mix has changed a lot because of the conflict in Ukraine. This year, Italy is using 3% less natural gas than it did last year. This is due to Russia cutting off the gas supply during the Ukraine crisis, according to reports.
In the rush to replace Russian gas, however, energy companies used 8% more oil and 47% more coal than they did a year ago, which led to more emissions. According to ENEA, the use of cleaner renewable energy sources has also decreased by 11%.
According to ENEA, greenhouse gas emissions were up 6% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same time last year. They are expected to go up another 2% by the end of the year.
Source: IANS
