Emissions from heating oil and gas are falling
CO2 emissions from fuels, i.e. primarily from heating oil and gas, fell by 8.8 per cent in Switzerland in 2023 compared to the previous year. In contrast, emissions from petrol and diesel remained at the previous year's level. This is according to the latest CO2 statistics.
In Switzerland, emissions from fuels fell significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year, namely by 8.8 per cent. The different cold winter months were converted to average weather conditions. Compared to 1990, these emissions were 41.7 per cent lower. This is shown in the recently published CO2 statistics for 2023, which are published annually by the Federal Office for the Environment(FOEN).
According to its press release, this decrease is mainly due to the improved energy efficiency of buildings and the increased use of renewable energies for heating. In particular, gas consumption has fallen significantly for the second year in a row.
In contrast, CO2 emissions caused by fuels such as petrol and diesel remained the same as in the previous year. Compared to 1990, emissions have fallen by 5.2 per cent. According to the data, the fact that they did not rise again after the pandemic, i.e. after 2022, is partly due to the change in mobility behaviour that began at that time: more working from home and fewer business trips. On the other hand, the FOEN also cites the growing share of electromobility as a reason for this. The share of biogenic fuels in total fuel consumption has risen slightly from 3.4 per cent to 3.6 per cent.