Press CO₂ emission intensity of German businesses decreased again in 2020

Press release No. 437 of 12 October 2022

• Economic sectors emitted 205 kilograms of carbon dioxide per 1,000 euros of gross value added in 2020
• CO₂ emission intensity down 8.4% in 2020 from 2019

WIESBADEN – The total CO₂ emission intensity of all economic sectors amounted to 205 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per 1,000 euros of gross value added in 2020, which is 8.4% less than a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the emission intensity had decreased already in the preceding years. It was 304 kilograms of CO₂ per 1,000 euros of gross value added in 2010 and fell to 224 in 2019 (2019 on 2010: -26.6%). The emission intensity indicates how many kilograms of CO₂ is emitted per 1,000 euros of gross value added. To obtain the figure, carbon dioxide emissions of a specific economic sector are divided by the sector’s price adjusted gross value added.