Climate change mitigation

Our quality of life depends, among other things, on a reliable supply of energy at an affordable price. We still burn fossil fuels to obtain most of the energy we use and combustion of fossil fuels affects us all in one way or another. It releases air pollutants into the atmosphere and harms our health. It also releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. We are at a critical decision point in time: the negative impacts of our current energy choices on the one hand, and the opportunities that clean energy sources offer on the other. Signals 2017 looks into Europe’s transition towards clean, smart and renewable energy.

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A significant reduction in the consumption of ozone-depleting substances has been achieved by the 28 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey (EEA-33) since 1986. This reduction has been largely driven by the 1987 United Nations Environment Programme Montreal Protocol. Upon the entry into force of the Montreal Protocol, EEA-33 consumption was approximately 420 000 ozone-depleting potential tonnes. Consumption values of around zero were reached in 2002 and have remained at this level ever since. S ince the early 1990s, th e EU has taken additional measures, in the shape of  EU law,  to reduce the consumption of ozone-depleting substances. In many aspects, the current EU regulation on substances that deplete the ozone layer (1005/2009/EC) goes further than the Montreal Protocol and has also brought forward the phasing out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons  in the EU.

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Fluorinated greenhouse gases reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounted for approximately 3 % of overall greenhouse gas emissions expressed in tonnes CO 2  equivalent in the EU in 2016. Hydrofluorocarbons account for more than 90 % of fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions. Remaining emissions are accounted for by perfluorinated greenhouse gases, i.e. perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride. The year 2015 was the first year of declining fluorinated greenhouse emissions (3 %) in the EU in 15 years. In 2016, total fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions rose by 0.6 % due to increases in perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride, while hydrofluorocarbons decreased further by 0.1 %. For most applications of fluorinated greenhouse gases, there is a significant time lag between the supply of these gases for industrial use and emissions: emissions mainly occur through the leakage of gases contained in products or equipment, or at the end of the product or equipment lifetime if fluorinated greenhouse gases are not fully recovered and destroyed or re-used. The supply of fluorinated greenhouse gases to the EU, measured in CO 2 equivalents, has been decreasing since 2010, with the exception of 2014, which saw extraordinarily high levels of hydrofluorocarbon imports prior to the EU-wide hydrofluorocarbon phase-down, coming into effect in 2015 under the EU F-gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 517/2014). Hydrofluorocarbons account for 80 % of present fluorinated greenhouse gas supply and are used primarily as refrigerants in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment. Other important uses of hydrofluorocarbons include as foam-blowing agents and in aerosols. Perfluorinated greenhouse gases (20 % of supply in 2016) are mainly used as protective gases in electrical equipment and as etching agents in electronics manufacture. The supply of unsaturated hydrofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons that have low global warming potential approximately doubled each year from 2014 to 2017, replacing hydrofluorocarbons that have high global warming potential. Trends in the use of non-halogenated refrigerants, however, which can also substitute hydrofluorocarbons, are not covered by statistics. The EU is on track to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, in terms of both complying, since 2015, with its internal targets under the EU F-Gas Regulation and reaching the hydrofluorocarbon consumption limit, coming into effect in 2019, under the Montreal Protocol.

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Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

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The Regulation (EU) No 510/2011 requires Member States to record information for each new van registered in its territory. Every year, each Member State shall submit to the Commission all the information related to their new registrations. In particular, the following details are required for each new van registered: manufacturer name, type approval number, type, variant, version, make and commercial name, specific emissions of CO2, mass of the vehicle, wheel base, track width, fuel type and fuel mode. Additional information, such as engine power and engine capacity were also submitted. Data for EU-28 are reported in the main database. Since 2018 Iceland is also included in the database.

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These maps show the trend in heating degree days (left) and cooling degree days (right) from 1981-2100 for all EEA member and cooperating countries, based on the median of an ensemble of 11 EURO-CORDEX simulations.

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These maps show observed linear trends in heating degree days (left) and cooling degree days (right) over 1981–2017 for all EEA member and cooperating countries. Stippling depicts regions where the trend is statistically significant at the 5% level.

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Taken together the figure shows that the sum of all individual 2020 targets from Member States’ for their primary energy consumption add up to an overall EU level which remains 3 % higher than the target defined for the EU under the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). For final energy consumption, the sum of Member States individual targets is by 0.3 % higher than the reduction level defined in the EED.

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The bar chart shows the change in gross final energy consumption (both total and from renewables sources) and renewable energy share for the EU Member States.

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Financial incentives and taxes set by countries can encourage consumers to buy passenger cars with lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. An increase in the uptake of electric vehicles reduces emissions of CO2 and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Examples from a number of countries show that this uptake can be enhanced by well-designed incentives and taxes. In contrast, tax schemes that promote conventional cars labelled as cleaner do not always result in reduced emissions.

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Incentives to promote fuel-efficient cars have not always resulted in expected emission reductions, due to the growing gap between real-world and type approval emissions. However, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, incentives that boost the uptake of electric vehicles considerably reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions.

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Ursula von der Leyen, president-elect of the European Commission, set her team’s political priorities for the next five years. A European Green Deal, outlining more ambitious action on climate and biodiversity crises, is at the heart of her agenda. European policies have long tackled environmental degradation and climate change with some success and some failures. Supported by growing calls for action by the public, this new policy term — with the new European Commission and Parliament — provides a unique opportunity to scale up and speed up a green and just transition for Europe.

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A significant reduction in the consumption of ozone-depleting substances has been achieved by the 28 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey (EEA-33) since 1986. This reduction has been largely driven by the 1987 United Nations Environment Programme Montreal Protocol. Upon the entry into force of the Montreal Protocol, EEA-33 consumption was approximately 420 000 ozone-depleting potential tonnes. Consumption values of around zero were reached in 2002 and have remained at this level ever since. S ince the early 1990s, th e EU has taken additional measures, in the shape of  EU law,  to reduce the consumption of ozone-depleting substances. In many aspects, the current EU regulation on substances that deplete the ozone layer (1005/2009/EC) goes further than the Montreal Protocol and has also brought forward the phasing out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons  in the EU.

Read more

Fluorinated greenhouse gases reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounted for approximately 3 % of overall greenhouse gas emissions expressed in tonnes CO 2  equivalent in the EU in 2016. Hydrofluorocarbons account for more than 90 % of fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions. Remaining emissions are accounted for by perfluorinated greenhouse gases, i.e. perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride. The year 2015 was the first year of declining fluorinated greenhouse emissions (3 %) in the EU in 15 years. In 2016, total fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions rose by 0.6 % due to increases in perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride, while hydrofluorocarbons decreased further by 0.1 %. For most applications of fluorinated greenhouse gases, there is a significant time lag between the supply of these gases for industrial use and emissions: emissions mainly occur through the leakage of gases contained in products or equipment, or at the end of the product or equipment lifetime if fluorinated greenhouse gases are not fully recovered and destroyed or re-used. The supply of fluorinated greenhouse gases to the EU, measured in CO 2 equivalents, has been decreasing since 2010, with the exception of 2014, which saw extraordinarily high levels of hydrofluorocarbon imports prior to the EU-wide hydrofluorocarbon phase-down, coming into effect in 2015 under the EU F-gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 517/2014). Hydrofluorocarbons account for 80 % of present fluorinated greenhouse gas supply and are used primarily as refrigerants in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment. Other important uses of hydrofluorocarbons include as foam-blowing agents and in aerosols. Perfluorinated greenhouse gases (20 % of supply in 2016) are mainly used as protective gases in electrical equipment and as etching agents in electronics manufacture. The supply of unsaturated hydrofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons that have low global warming potential approximately doubled each year from 2014 to 2017, replacing hydrofluorocarbons that have high global warming potential. Trends in the use of non-halogenated refrigerants, however, which can also substitute hydrofluorocarbons, are not covered by statistics. The EU is on track to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, in terms of both complying, since 2015, with its internal targets under the EU F-Gas Regulation and reaching the hydrofluorocarbon consumption limit, coming into effect in 2019, under the Montreal Protocol.

Read more

Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

Read more

According to provisional data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new passenger cars registered in the European Union (EU) in 2018 increased for the second consecutive year, reaching 120.4 grammes of CO2 per kilometre. For the first time, the average CO2 emissions from new vans also increased. Manufacturers will have to reduce emissions of their fleet significantly to meet the upcoming 2020 and 2021 targets.

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The Regulation (EU) No 510/2011 requires Member States to record information for each new van registered in its territory. Every year, each Member State shall submit to the Commission all the information related to their new registrations. In particular, the following details are required for each new van registered: manufacturer name, type approval number, type, variant, version, make and commercial name, specific emissions of CO2, mass of the vehicle, wheel base, track width, fuel type and fuel mode. Additional information, such as engine power and engine capacity were also submitted. Data for EU-28 are reported in the main database. Since 2018 Iceland is also included in the database.

Read more

These maps show observed linear trends in heating degree days (left) and cooling degree days (right) over 1981–2017 for all EEA member and cooperating countries. Stippling depicts regions where the trend is statistically significant at the 5% level.

Read more

These maps show the trend in heating degree days (left) and cooling degree days (right) from 1981-2100 for all EEA member and cooperating countries, based on the median of an ensemble of 11 EURO-CORDEX simulations.

Read more

Submission under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol

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Are electric vehicles better for our climate and air quality than petrol or diesel cars? We sat down with Andreas Unterstaller, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) transport and environment expert to discuss the pros and cons of electric cars which is the focus of a new EEA report.

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Our quality of life depends, among other things, on a reliable supply of energy at an affordable price. We still burn fossil fuels to obtain most of the energy we use and combustion of fossil fuels affects us all in one way or another. It releases air pollutants into the atmosphere and harms our health. It also releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. We are at a critical decision point in time: the negative impacts of our current energy choices on the one hand, and the opportunities that clean energy sources offer on the other. Signals 2017 looks into Europe’s transition towards clean, smart and renewable energy.

Read more

The bar chart shows the change in gross final energy consumption (both total and from renewables sources) and renewable energy share for the EU Member States.

Read more

Taken together the figure shows that the sum of all individual 2020 targets from Member States’ for their primary energy consumption add up to an overall EU level which remains 3 % higher than the target defined for the EU under the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). For final energy consumption, the sum of Member States individual targets is by 0.3 % higher than the reduction level defined in the EED.

Read more

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