Carbon dioxide emissions in France 1970-2021

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 caused carbon dioxide emissions in France to plummet 16 percent to 251.6 million metric tons. This was the lowest annual emissions of CO₂ in France for more than 50 years, even though they were already in decline before the pandemic. In 2021, however, CO₂ emissions in the country rose back to 273.6 million metric tons.

France’s carbon footprint

France is now the fourth largest carbon polluter in the European Union, behind Germany, Italy, and Poland. Despite being one of the most polluting EU member states, France has one of the lowest per capita CO₂ emissions in the EU. Averaging 6.8 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent per capita, just seven other member states have a lower carbon footprint per person.

Sector emissions in France

Road vehicles are a major source of emissions in France. In 2019, road transportation GHG emissions totaled 123.3 MtCO₂e – the second highest in the EU. The power sector is often a considerable source of emissions in many countries, but due to France’s use of nuclear energy, emissions from this sector are relatively low. Power sector emissions in France totaled 25.5 MtCO₂ in 2020 and are forecasted to have halved by 2050.