EEA unveils preliminary EU inventory of greenhouse gas emissions

The European Environment Agency annually compiles the European Community greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory report, which is formally submitted by the European Commission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The provisional figures compiled by the Agency — now available for 2006 — show that EU-15 Member States reduced their GHG emissions by 0.9 % between 2005 and 2006, with an overall reduction of 35.8 million tonnes CO2 equivalent and now stand 2.7 % below their base-year emissions (*).  During the same period (2005—2006), EU-27 emissions decreased by 0.3 % or 15 million tonnes CO2 equivalent and are now 7.4 % below 1990 levels (**).

Early indications show that households and offices are the main contributors to the decreasing trend in emissions between 2005 and 2006, with 15.1 million tonnes CO2 equivalent saved in EU-27. France, Italy and the United Kingdom showed the most significant emission cuts in this sector. Milder winters are likely to have led to lower energy consumption in homes.

On the other hand, CO2 emissions from electricity and heat production increased by 14.0 million tonnes in EU-27.

The recent downward trend shown by EU-27 was offset by a major revision of the 1990 emission data. As a result, this year's report shows that EU-27 recorded 0.5 percentage points less progress compared to 1990, although total GHG emissions have clearly decreased. Some Member States and the EU are therefore obliged to intensify efforts to cut climate-changing gas emissions.

The EEA will present a more detailed analysis — based on the consolidated numbers — in June 2008.

EU-27: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom.

EU-15: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom.

Detailed conclusions on 2006 emission figures will be published by the EEA in June 2008 as the 'Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2006 and inventory report 2008'.

Links

• Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2006 and inventory report 2008, submitted 15 April 2008 to the UNFCCC
  
  

(*) EU-15 has a common reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol of – 8 % to 2008–2012 compared to a base year, which is in most cases 1990, but some Member States have chosen 1995 for fluorinated-gases 

(**) The EU has made a firm independent commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % between 1990 and 2020