EU greenhouse gas emissions decrease in 2005

Germany, Finland and the Netherlands contributed most to the EU-15 reduction in absolute terms (see table in Notes to the Editor). Reduction of CO2 emissions drove the overall decrease of greenhouse gas emissions in these countries.

• Germany reduced emissions by 2.3% or 23.5 million tonnes CO₂ equivalents: a shift from coal to gas in the production of public electricity and heat was one of the main reasons for the decrease in emissions. In addition, emissions from road transportation and from households and services declined substantially.
• Finland reduced emissions by 14.6% or 11.9 million tonnes CO₂ equivalents: emission reductions were mainly due to a substantial decrease in the use of fossil fuels in the production of public electricity and heat mainly due to electricity imports. Coal use, in particular, decreased.
• The Netherlands reduced emissions by 2.9% or 6.3 million tonnes CO₂ equivalents: less fossil fuel was used for the production of public electricity and heat. The household and service sector used less fuel due to a warmer winter
  

Other EU-15 countries which saw emissions decrease between 2004 and 2005 are: Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Sweden and UK.

In absolute terms, the main sectors contributing to emissions reductions between 2004 and 2005 in the EU-15 were public electricity and heat production, households and services, and road transport.

CO₂ emissions from public electricity and heat production decreased by 0.9% (-9.6 million tonnes) mainly due to a reduction in the reliance on coal.

CO₂ emissions from households and services decreased by 1.7 % (7.0 million tonnes). Important decreases in emissions from household and services were reported by Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. One general reason for the decrease is the warmer weather conditions (milder winter) compared to the previous year.

CO₂ emissions from road transport decreased by 0.8% (6 million tonnes). This is mainly attributed to Germany, and is due to increased amounts of diesel oil driven cars, the effects of the eco-tax and fuel buying from outside Germany (fuel tourism).

Which EU-15 countries have seen the biggest increases in GHG emissions?
In absolute terms, Spain increased greenhouse gas emissions the most between 2004 and 2005 (see table in Notes to the Editor).

In Spain, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 3.6% or 15.4 million tonnes CO₂ equivalents came mainly from public electricity and heat production. This is due to a rise in electricity generation from fossil thermal power stations (17 %) and a decrease in electricity generation from hydropower plants (-33 %).

Other EU-15 countries which saw emissions increase between 2004 and 2005 are: Austria, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

The EEA GHG data viewer is an interactive tool that allows easy web access to the main data contained in the EC Greenhouse gas inventory report. The GHG data viewer enables the user to view and analyse emission trends for the main sectors and their sub sectors. It also facilitates comparison between emissions from selected countries and sectors. In addition, the GHG data viewer enables the production of graphics and the downloading of key emission estimates.

EEA GHG Data Viewer

This report is the EU's official submission to the UNFCCC on total domestic greenhouse gas emissions for the period 1990-2005. Domestic, in this context, refers to emissions from within the territory of the EU. It contains information about GHG emissions for the EU-15 and EU-27. It also thoroughly explains the process by which EU emissions are derived and quality checked.

The EEA is responsible for compiling and publishing this report annually using information reported by national governments under the EC GHG Monitoring Mechanism.

In 2005 the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) covered approx. 47% of the total CO₂ emissions and approx. 39% of total greenhouse gas emissions in EU-15. The EU ETS covered approx. 49% of the total CO₂ emission and 41% of total greenhouse gas emissions in EU-25. In general, EU ETS information has been used by EU Member States as one input for calculating total CO₂ emissions for the Energy and Industrial Processes sectors in this report. However, an explicit quantification of the contribution of the EU ETS to total CO₂ emissions at sectoral and sub-sectoral level is not yet available for EU-15 or EU-25.

The EU-15 has a common target under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 8 %, compared to the base year. The EU-27 does not have a common Kyoto target. Official reporting of emissions for compliance purposes under the Kyoto Protocol does not begin until 2010 – when emissions will be reported for the year 2008. In the meantime, this report is the most relevant and accurate source of information on greenhouse gas emissions for the EU. It can be used for tracking the EU's performance when it comes to reducing domestic greenhouse emissions (i.e. emissions within its territory) towards meeting the Kyoto targets. Parties to the Kyoto Protocol are allowed to use carbon sinks as well as the so called 'flexible mechanisms' to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions outside their national territories - as a supplement to domestic reductions. Hence, domestic action is the primary method of achieving the Kyoto targets. This inventory report suggests that domestic emissions of GHGs decreased by approximately 2.0 % compared to the base year under the Kyoto Protocol.