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EEA reports on progress in greenhouse gas emissions reductions in 2006

News Published 18 Jun 2008 Last modified 21 Jun 2016

3 min read

Topics: Climate change mitigation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union decreased slightly between 2005 and 2006 according to the official inventory report prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Overall emissions within the EU-27 fell by 14 million tonnes (0.3 %) and now stand 7.7 % below 1990 levels. Total emissions in the European Union were slightly more than 5.1 billion tonnes in 2006.

The main contributor to the decrease was lower consumption of gas and oil in households and services, which accounted for emission cuts of 16.6 million tonnes, particularly in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. This was a result of reduced heating needs in Europe due to a warmer year in 2006, together with higher gas prices. Electricity demand remained largely stable in households.

Emissions from road transport continued to grow, releasing 6.5 million tonnes of CO₂ or 0.7 % more than in 2005. The rise was mostly driven by increased use of diesel for freight and passenger transport. Emissions of greenhouse gases from international aviation and shipping activities continued to rise sharply in 2006. Contributions from these sectors, currently not included under the Kyoto Protocol, rose by nearly 5 million tonnes (aviation) and 10 million tonnes (international shipping).

The Annual European Community Greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2006 and inventory report 2008 published today, also includes the following key findings:

The net reduction in GHG emissions observed for EU-27 was mainly due to reduced emission of nitrous oxide (12 million tonnes CO₂-equivalents) from chemical plants;
Overall emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the most important greenhouse gas, remained stable in the period 2005–2006;
Heavier use of coal for power and heat production resulted in an increase of 15.4 million tonnes CO₂ from this sector in 2006. Poland alone accounted for an increment of 7.6 million tonnes of emissions from this sector;
Denmark and Finland experienced the biggest relative increase in GHG emissions (with 10.9 and 16.3 % respectively), due to heavier use of solid fossil fuels for power generation;
EU-15 Member States cut emissions by 0.8 % (or 35 million tones) in 2006 and account for 81 % of the EU total. In 2006, EU-15 emissions were 2.7 % below their levels in the base year (1990 in most cases).

Table 1 Greenhouse gas emissions in CO₂-equivalents (excluding carbon sinks) and Kyoto Protocol targets for 2008–2012

Greenhouse gas emissions in Europe 1990-2006 (EC GHG Inventory Report 2008)

(¹) The base year under the Kyoto Protocol for each Member State and EU-15 is further outlined in Table 1.4 and 1.5 in the report. As Cyprus, Malta and EU-27 do not have targets under the Kyoto Protocol, they do not have applicable Kyoto Protocol base years.

The new EEA GHG data viewer

The European Environment Agency has developed a new greenhouse gas (GHG) data viewer which simplifies access and analysis of the data contained in the greenhouse gas inventory report. The GHG data viewer can show emission trends for the main sectors and allows for comparisons of emissions between different countries and activities. In addition, the web viewer can produce graphics and key emission estimates.

EU carbon trading information updated — and more accessible

The EEA has also launched today a revamped version of the viewing tool for the EU greenhouse gas Emission Trading System (ETS) — the EEA CITL viewer. The viewer covers over 10 500 installations in the 27 Member States of the European Union. The upgraded tool made available today by the EEA features more recent data, covers Romania and Malta for the first time and provides better functionality for both expert and new users.

New country profiles

A new set of country profiles covering key greenhouse gas information is now available for download at the EEA website. These brief and visual country profiles summarise essential GHG data for each of the EU Member States and complement the more detailed information in the EEA GHG data and CITL viewers.

Notes

The EEA report 'Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2006 and inventory report 2008', was submitted to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the European Community's official submission. The EEA released a preliminary assessment of the report in April 2008.

The UNFCCC, with 192 Parties, is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Their common goal is to stabilise GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

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.