Greenhouse gas emissions in Europe: a retrospective trend analysis for the period 1990 - 2008

Publication Created 06 Oct 2011 Published 07 Oct 2011
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This report presents a retrospective overview of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in Europe from 1990 to 2008, with a particular focus on the underpinning drivers and the influence of EU policies. The analysis is based on the combination of decomposition analyses to identify the respective influence of each identified driver and an overview of the main EU policies and their likely effects on these drivers. The period covered by the analysis stops in 2008. As a result, the analysis does not address the effects of the recent economic crisis on GHG emissions. This reinforces the conclusion on long-term emission drivers. The report covers the EU-27 and presents results for the other European Environment Agency (EEA) member countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey) and Croatia (EU candidate country, together with Turkey) as far as data are available.
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Publication Created 06 Oct 2011 Published 07 Oct 2011
3 min read
EEA Report No 6/2011
This report presents a retrospective overview of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in Europe from 1990 to 2008, with a particular focus on the underpinning drivers and the influence of EU policies. The analysis is based on the combination of decomposition analyses to identify the respective influence of each identified driver and an overview of the main EU policies and their likely effects on these drivers. The period covered by the analysis stops in 2008. As a result, the analysis does not address the effects of the recent economic crisis on GHG emissions. This reinforces the conclusion on long-term emission drivers. The report covers the EU-27 and presents results for the other European Environment Agency (EEA) member countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey) and Croatia (EU candidate country, together with Turkey) as far as data are available.

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: 978-92-9213-227-9
: TH-AL-11-006-EN-C

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Data visualisations

Figures used

Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27 Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27. Final energy intensity or final energy consumption intensity refers to the ratio between the final energy consumption and the GDP
Total final energy consumption by sector in the EU-27, 1990-2010 Consists of 5 figures that show the total final energy consumption, final energy consumption of petroleum products, final energy consumption of electricity, final energy consumption of natural gas and final energy consumption of solid fuel, all by sector in the EU-27.
Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27 and in the non-EU27 EEA countries Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27 and in the non-EU27 EEA countries
Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27 Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27
Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27 Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27. Final energy intensity or final energy consumption intensity refers to the ratio between the final energy consumption and the GDP
Total final energy consumption by sector in the EU-27, 1990-2009 Consists of 5 figures that show the total final energy consumption, final energy consumption of petroleum products, final energy consumption of electricity, final energy consumption of natural gas and final energy consumption of solid fuel, all by sector in the EU-27.
Drivers of EU GHG emissions from energy supply, 1990–2008 -
Decomposition analysis of direct CO2 emission trends from EU households, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
GHG emission from energy use per sector and per gas, 1990–2008 Manufacturing industries and construction = CRF category 1A2, Primary and tertiary sector = CRF category 1A4a+1A4c+1A5, Households = CRF category 1A4b.
Change in the fossil fuel mix in conventional thermal power stations, 1990–2008 The data presented as provided in the EU GHG inventory report. Although biomass emissions are not included in national totals or under the energy sector, they reported as a memorandum item.
GHG emissions from the transport sector per subsector and per gas, 1990–2008 in the EU-27 Civil aviation = CRF 1A3a, Road transport = CRF category 1A3b, Railways = CRF category 1A3c, Navigation = CRF category 1A3d, Other transportation = CRF category 1A3e. International aviation and navigation is not included.
Decomposition analysis of CH4 emission trends from solid waste management in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Drivers of CO2 emissions from passenger cars in the EU, 1990–2008 Passenger km: The number of km covered by people is represented as passenger km, and includes road, rail, air and ship transport of passengers. Passenger km on road: Passenger km on road do not include passenger km on rail, air and ship transport of passengers.
EU GHG emissions from agriculture per sector and per gas, 1990–2008 The sectors presented here correspond to the following IPCC categories: Agricultural soils = CRF 4D, Enteric fermentation = CRF 4A, Manure management = CRF 4B, Other (rice cultivation and field burning of agricultural residues) = CRF 4C+4F. Emissions from fuel combustion in the agriculture sector are reported under the energy sector (CRF 1A4c).
Absolute change and average annual relative change of GHG emissions from waste in the EU, 1990-2008 Countries sorted according to absolute change between 1990 and 2008. Average annual relative change (%) = (last year/base year)(1/number of years) – 1.
Drivers of direct CO2 emissions from EU households, 1990–2008 Final energy consumption, fuel consumption, fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are temperature corrected. Indirect emissions, related to the production of public electricity or heat used by households, are not included.
Total and sectoral changes in total GHG emissions for EU-27, EU-15 and EU-12 -
GHG emission intensity of European economies (GHG emissions per GDP) in 2008 and changes in economic intensity, 1990–2008 The left graph uses GDP at market prices, current prices, converted to PPS (purchasing power standard), which allows meaningful volume comparisons of GDP across European countries and benchmark country performance in a particular year. The right graph refers to GDP at constant market prices, which allows consistent GDP time series in a particular country.
GHG emissions in the EU-27 by gas and by sector, 2008 Emissions from international aviation and international maritime navigation, which are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, are not included here.
Absolute change and average annual relative change of GHG emissions from transport in the EU, 1990-2008 Countries sorted according to absolute change between 1990 and 2008. Average annual relative change (%) = (last year/base year)(1/number of years) – 1.
Decomposition analysis of CH4 emission trends from enteric fermentation of cattle in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Gross electricity generation by fuel in the EU The figure on the right represents a zoom of the figure on the left, for renewable sources only.
Total EU GHG emissions by sector and by gas, 1990–2008 -
GHG emission per capita in Europe 2008 and relative change between 1990 and 2008 -
Drivers of N2O emissions from EU agricultural soils, 1990–2008 -
GHG emissions from the waste sector per sector and per gas, 1990–2008 Solid waste disposal = CRF 6A, Waste water treatment = CRF 6B, Waste incineration = CRF 6C, Other waste treatment= CRF 6D.
Absolute change and average annual relative change of GHG emissions from energy use (excluding transport) in the EU, 1990-2008 Countries sorted according to absolute change between 1990 and 2008. Average annual relative change (%) = (last year/base year)(1/number of years) – 1.
Absolute change and average annual relative change of GHG emissions from energy supply in the EU, 1990-2008 Countries sorted according to absolute change between 1990 and 2008. Average annual relative change (%) = (last year/base year)(1/number of years) – 1.
EU freight transport by inland modes in the EU, 1995-2008 -
Decomposition analysis of CO2 emissions from road freight transport in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver to GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered. Different data sources have been used for the calculation of carbon intensity, which may result in a high uncertainty of the results for this driver.
Drivers of CH4 emissions from municipal solid waste in the EU, 1995–2008 Figure does not include data before 1995, as consistent data sets for the time 1990 to 1995 are not available for all Member States. MSW deposited = MSW generated – MSW incinerated – MSW recycled and composted Data for MSW generated, MSW incinerated and MSW recycled and composted are from national GHG inventory submissions and other data are from Eurostat, 2010.
Final energy consumption in EU industry, 1990–2008 GHG emissions resulting from the consumption of electrical energy and derived heat, do not count towards direct emissions of the industry, but are accounted in the sector 1A1 'Energy supply'.
Decomposition analysis of N2O emission trends from EU agricultural soils, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Drivers of CO2 emissions from road freight transport in the EU, 1990–2008 -
Change in the gasoline and diesel car stock between 1995 and 2005 -
Greenhouse gas emission trends in the EU-27, the EU-15 and the EU-12, 1990–2008 GHG emissions presented refer to total GHG emissions without LULUCF.
Decomposition analysis of CO2 emission trends from passenger cars in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver to CO2 emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Decomposition analysis of CO2 emission trends from public electricity and heat production in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Drivers of direct GHG emissions from EU manufacturing and construction industries, 1990–2008 Indirect emissions, related to the production of public electricity or heat used by the manufacturing and construction industries, are not included.
Decomposition analysis of direct CO2 emission trends from EU manufacturing and construction industries, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
Drivers of CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation of cattle in the EU, 1990–2008 -
GHG emission trends from the energy supply sector per sector and per gas, 1990–2008 Public electricity and heat production = CRF category 1A1a, Manufacture of solid fuels = CRF category 1A1b, Petroleum refining = CRF category 1A1c, Fugitive Emissions = CRF category 1B, Energy Supply = CRF categories 1A1+1B.
Main drivers of total GHG emissions in the EU, 1990–2008 -
Top-down decomposition analysis of total GHG emission trends in the EU, 1990–2008 Each bar shows the contribution of a single driver on GHG emission trends during a determined period. The thick short black lines indicate the combined effect of all emission drivers, i.e. the overall GHG emission trend during the period considered.
GHG emission in the EU-27 by main source activity, 2008 -
Absolute change and average annual relative change of total GHG emissions in the EU, 1990-2008 -
MSW treatment in the EU-27 -
Energy efficiency index (ODEX) in industry in EU-27 Energy efficiency index of industry (ODEX) is a weighted average of the specific consumption index of 10 manufacturing branches; the weight being the share of each branch in the sum of the energy consumption of these branches in year t and the sum of the implied energy consumption from each underlying industrial branches in year t (based on the unit consumption of the subsector with a moving reference year).
Share of wood and biomass use in fuel consumption by industry, households and the services sector -
Absolute change and average annual relative change of GHG emissions from agriculture in the EU, 1990-2008 Countries sorted according to absolute change between 1990 and 2008. Average annual relative change (%) = (last year/base year)(1/number of years) – 1.
Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27 Index of final energy intensity and energy intensity by sector, EU-27. Final energy intensity or final energy consumption intensity refers to the ratio between the final energy consumption and the GDP
Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27, 1990-2008 Total gross inland energy consumption increased until 2004 in the EU-27It: it was about 10% above its 1990 level in 2004 (average growth of 0.7 % per year). Since 2004, it is has stopped growing: it was stable in 2005 and 2006 and decreased in 2007 and 2008 (by 1% and 0.5% respectively): as a result, the gross inland consumption was in 2008 1.4% below its 2004 level. Total gross inland energy consumption was in 2008 8.3% above its 1990 level.
Final energy consumption by sector in the EU-27, 1990-2008 Between 1990 and 2008, final energy consumption in transport increased by 33.7 % at an average annual rate of 1.7 %. In 2008, the share of transport in final energy consumption was 32.0%. Household final energy consumption increased by 4.3 % from 2007 to 2008, partially due to a very cold winter across Europe and the refilling of the fuel stock as well as poor energy efficiency improvements. In 2008, the share of household consumption in total final energy consumption was 25.3%. In 2008, the share of service sector in final energy consumption was 11.8%. In 2008, the share of industry in final energy consumption was 27.2%

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Sweden GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Germany GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Slovenia GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Italy GHG and energy 2017 country profile
UK GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Belgium GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Malta GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Bulgaria GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Portugal GHG and energy 2017 country profile
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Greece GHG and energy 2017 country profile
Slovakia GHG and energy 2017 country profile
References - Greenhouse gases and energy country profiles
Country profiles
Slovakia GHG and energy country profile
Sweden GHG and energy country profile
Poland GHG and energy country profile
Romania GHG and energy country profile
Slovenia GHG and energy country profile
Portugal GHG and energy country profile
Spain GHG and energy country profile
UK GHG and energy country profile
Belgium GHG and energy country profile
Luxembourg GHG and energy country profile
Netherlands GHG and energy country profile
Finland GHG and energy country profile
Cyprus GHG and energy country profile
Estonia GHG and energy country profile
Lithuania GHG and energy country profile
Bulgaria GHG and energy country profile
Hungary GHG and energy country profile
Italy GHG and energy country profile
France GHG and energy country profile
Czech Republic GHG and energy country profile
Malta GHG and energy country profile
Greece GHG and energy country profile
Germany GHG and energy country profile
Ireland GHG and energy country profile
Latvia GHG and energy country profile
Austria GHG and energy country profile
Croatia GHG and energy country profile
Denmark GHG and energy country profile
Country profiles - greenhouse gases and energy This section presents country profiles containing key data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency for each EU Member State. These country profiles support and complement the assessment of progress towards climate and energy targets in Europe.
Trends and projections in Europe 2016
Trends and projections in Europe The EEA’s annual report on Trends and Projections in Europe updates the progress assessments of the EU and European countries towards their climate mitigation and energy targets. It also sets sights forward towards the EU’s 2020 and new 2030 targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable energy generation and improving energy efficiency. The assessments in the Trends and Projections in Europe report draw on the most recent data on EU and Member States’ progress to their climate and energy targets. These include: EU’s and Member States’ GHG inventory, Member States’ Effort Sharing datasets, Member States’s GHG projections, Proxyestimates of greenhouse gas emissions in the most recent year.
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