The European Union pumped out 8% less carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels it burned in 2023 than it did in 2022, the Guardian can reveal, pushing these emissions down to their lowest level in 60 years.

The fall in planet-heating pollution is the steepest yearly drop on record behind 2020, when governments shuttered factories and grounded flights to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea).

The EU built record levels of solar panels and wind turbines in 2023, according to industry data, and was able to make more electricity from dams and nuclear power plants that had been struck by drought and repair work the year before.

“The 8% reduction in emissions should be celebrated,” said Levi, “but more must be done to wean the EU off fossil fuels, reduce reliance on petrostates such as Russia, whilst also leaving the world a better place for the next generation.”

“The EU has made great progress in recent years to strengthen its climate policy framework,” said Prof Ottmar Edenhofer, the chair of the advisory board, when the report was published.

Sarah Brown, from the clean energy thinktank Ember, which was not involved in the analysis, said: “This substantial fall in emissions, particularly from the power sector, shows that the EU is accelerating its shift away from risky and expensive fossil fuels.

Saved 59% of original text.