Greenhouse gas emissions indicators have been updated

Key message

Total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-27, excluding emission and removals from land-use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), decreased by 0.7 % between 2004 and 2005 and by 7.9 % between 1990 and 2005. Emissions decreased strongly in the new Member States during the 1990s but since 2000, the trends have been almost identical in the EU-15 and in the new Member States. Between 1990 and 2005, greenhouse gas emissions decreased in all sectors except in the transport sector, where they increased significantly.

In the EU-15, total greenhouse gas emissions (excluding LULUCF) decreased by 0.8 % between 2004 and 2005, by 1.5 % between 1990 and 2005 and by 2.0 % between the Kyoto base year and 2005. This means the EU-15 has achieved one fourth of the total reduction needed to achieve the 8 % reduction from base-year level required by 2008-2012 under the Kyoto Protocol. However, the target can also be reached through actions outside the EU (use of Kyoto mechanisms).

In the 12 new Member States, total greenhouse gas emissions (excluding LULUCF) decreased by 0.3 % between 2004 and 2005 and by 27.8 % between 1990 and 2005. Except in Slovenia, 2005 emissions of all the new Member States that have a Kyoto target were well below their Kyoto target.

Key message

Projections for 2010 indicate that the EU-15 will meet its Kyoto target if Member States implement existing and additional measures fully and quickly, and make use of carbon sinks and Kyoto mechanisms. If all the projected reductions were achieved, the EU-15 could reach a level of emissions 11.4 % lower than base-year emissions, therefore overachieving its -8 % Kyoto target by 3.4 percentage points. The EU-27 does not have a Kyoto target. Twelve EU-15 Member States project they will achieve their individual targets. All ten new Member States with a target expect to meet their target (Cyprus and Malta do not have a Kyoto target).

Croatia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland project that they will meet their targets. Turkey has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol and thus has no Kyoto target.