Insee Première · November 2024 · n° 2023

France’s greenhouse gases emissions and carbon footprint in 2023  France’s greenhouse gases emissions and carbon footprint went significantly down

In 2023, greenhouse gases emissions from France’s resident units (which include some emissions abroad, in particular for air and maritime transportation) amounted to 403 million tons of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2eq), that is 5.9 tons per person, whereas France’s carbon footprint amounted to 644 Mt CO2eq, that is 9.4 tons per person. The difference came from the fact that the emissions imported to satisfy French final demand were markedly higher than the emissions exported by France. French emissions went down by 5.6% compared to 2022, among others because of a decrease in carbon emitting electricity generation. This decline mostly reflected a drop in emissions exported by France (-12.6%), while emissions dedicated to satisfy domestic final demand were more stable (-1.4%). All in all, the carbon footprint went down by 4.1%, mostly because of the decrease in imported emissions. Since 1990, French emissions have fallen faster than the carbon footprint, in which the share of imports has risen.