Europe Has Significantly Reduced Gas Consumption Due to War in Ukraine

European countries are gradually abandoning gas consumption due to the war in Ukraine. Currently, private households and companies are increasingly transitioning to energy-efficient technologies and heat pumps.

This is indicated in a new study by the World Energy Monitoring.

According to the published research, in 2022, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, developed economies on the European continent managed to reduce gas consumption by 15%.

Furthermore, updated data shows that in the first three quarters of this year, European households and businesses further reduced gas demand by 9%, likely leading to the formation of a sustainable trend in the coming years.

At the same time, the International Energy Agency (IAE) believes that about 40% of the current trend of consumption reduction was achieved due to an unusually warm winter on the European continent.

Simultaneously, a significant portion of the reduction in gas consumption was still driven by increased demand for heat pumps and their improved efficiency.

For instance, the Netherlands, Ireland, and France reported a 12% increase in their energy efficiency last year, while the United Kingdom saw a 7% improvement.

IAE emphasizes that the achieved level of energy efficiency improvement is still insufficient for governments worldwide to meet their ambitious climate goals.

"The world’s climate ambitions hinge on our ability to make the global energy system much more efficient. If governments want to keep the 1.5 °C goal within reach while supporting energy security, doubling energy efficiency progress this decade is critical," highlighted IAE Executive Director Fatih Birol.

Additionally, Birol noted that the conclusion of this report serves as a "stark warning" for the leaders of global governments, who are set to attend the Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates this Thursday.

Recall that The Gaze previously reported that the current efforts of global governments are insufficient to stop climate change.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to halt warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, global emissions need to be reduced by at least 45%.