The European Union’s energy system is decarbonising rapidly. In 2019, emissions from stationary installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) declined by 9.1 %. Further reductions are expected in 2020, partially because of the Covid-19 crisis. However, significant further cuts in emissions remain necessary to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The auctioning of emission allowances can turn into a significant source of revenues to support climate investments. This briefing provides an overview of past and projected emission trends under the EU ETS.
Greenhouse gas emissions from stationary installations covered by the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) dropped by 9.1% in 2019 from 2018 levels, the largest drop in a decade, according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing on trends and projections in the EU ETS released today.
The arrows show the trend in relative sea level at selected European tide gauge stations since 1970 (in mm/year) based on data from the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL).
The background colours show projections of European sea level change for 2081–2100 for RCP8.5 (in metres). Results are median values based on the values in the IPCC SROCC Table 4.4.
Global mean sea level (GMSL) has risen about 19 cm since 1900, at an accelerating rate. GMSL reached its highest value ever in 2019. Climate models project a GMSL rise during the 21st century that will likely be in the range of 0.29-0.59 m for a low emissions scenario and 0.61-1.10 m for a high one. GMSL projections that include the possibility of faster disintegration of the polar ice sheets predict a rise of up to 2.4 m in 2100 and up to 15 m in 2300. Most coastal regions in Europe have experienced an increase in sea level relative to land, except for the northern Baltic coast.
The left panel depicts the rise in global mean sea level from 1880 to 2019 based on two data sources.
The red line (DMW) shows the hybrid sea-level reconstruction of sea level anomalies during 1900–2015 (Dangendorf et al., 2019). The uncertainty interval around is shaded.
The dark blue line (CMEMS) shows the filtered sea level anomalies for the time period from 1993 to 2019 based on satellite observations (Ablain et al., 2017; WCRP Sea Level Budget Group, 2018).
All values are relative to the average level of the period 1993-2012, during which the two datasets overlap.
The right panel shows projections of global mean sea level until 2100 for three emissions scenarios based on the IPCC SROCC (Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate).
This figure shows a time series of carbon emissions under the EU ETS for the main activity codes.
The total concentration of all greenhouse gases and other forcing agents, including cooling aerosols, reached 457 parts per million CO 2 equivalents in 2018. If this concentration continues to increase at the present decadal rate, concentrations could, in the next few years, exceed the peak level that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states should not be exceeded if — with a 67 % likelihood — the global temperature increase is to be limited to 1.5 o C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. The peak concentrations corresponding to a temperature increase of 2 o C could be exceeded before 2034.
Peak and 2100 concentrations of total greenhouse gases in the atmosphere consistent with a 67 % probability of keeping the average global temperature increase below 1.5 °C (left) and 2 °C (right) are shown. The periods within which peak concentrations could be exceeded are shown by purple arrows, based on the trend of the past 10 years in total greenhouse gas concentrations and without allowing for a temperature overshoot (based on IPCC, 2018)
Europe’s seas are overexploited. Most of Europe’s marine area (93 %) is under multiple pressures from human activities, which have reached the most remote areas. The EU’s maritime economy will not be sustainable unless it is confined to the current ecological limits of marine ecosystems. That means decoupling human activities on land and sea from the degradation and depletion of marine ecosystem capital. This briefing summarises a spatial assessment of the multiple pressures on Europe’s seas (ETC/ICM, 2019a).
This briefing presents an overview of the latest policies and measures reported by Member States to tackle air pollution, as required under the National Emission reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive. It includes an analysis of synergies with the policies reported under the Regulation on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions (Monitoring Mechanism Regulation), highlighting the importance of coherence between these domains.
European Union (EU) Member States report on their policies and measures to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions separately. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, reveals that Member States identify links to climate action in about one third of their reported actions planned to reduce air pollution.
In Europe’s rivers, oxygen consuming substances decreased over the period 1992 to 2018.
On average, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) fell to 51 % of the 1992 level during this period.
Ammonium concentrations decreased even more substantially between 1992 and 2018, falling to 22 % of the 1992 level. However, the decrease has been less pronounced since 2010 and an increase has been observed in recent years.
The decrease in BOD and ammonium concentrations is mainly because of a general improvement in waste water treatment throughout Europe. In central and eastern European countries, the economic decline of the 1990s also contributed to a decrease in pollution from manufacturing industries.
Nutrient conditions in European surface waters have improved over recent decades. However, there has been no overall decrease in the nitrate concentration in groundwater.
The average phosphate concentration in European rivers has decreased markedly over the last two or three decades (by 0.002 milligrams per litre of phosphate-phosphorous (mg P/l) per year (1.3 % per year). The average total phosphorus concentration in lakes also decreased over the period 1992-2018 (0.0003 mg P/l per year (0.8 %)). The decrease in phosphorus concentration is likely related to improvements in waste water treatment and the reduction of phosphorus in detergents. However, as for nitrate in rivers there is a tendency for concentrations to level off in recent years, especially for rivers.
On average, the nitrate concentration in European rivers decreased by 0.01 milligrams per litre of nitrate-nitrogen (mg N/l) per year (0.02 % per year) between 1992 and 2018, but the concentration has levelled off since around 2010. The decrease is likely related to effects of measures to reduce agricultural inputs of nitrate and improvements in waste water treatment. However, the apparent stabilisation of river nitrate concentrations in recent years may call for further measures to be taken.
Many different human activities on land and at sea cause pressures on Europe’s seas. A European Environment Agency’s (EEA) briefing, published today, shows that these pressures have now reached the outermost sea areas and the deepest seafloor. Human activities affect negatively 93 % of Europe’s sea area.
The share of energy from renewable sources consumed in transport increased between 2005 and 2018 in the EU, from under 2 % to over 8 %. Latest EEA data indicate that in 2019 this increased further, to 8.4%, indicating continuing progress towards the target set in the Renewable Energy Directive, namely that, by 2020, 10 % of all energy used in transport should be from renewable sources. However, because several countries are far from meeting this target, reaching the 10 % goal by 2020 is unlikely, at both country and EU levels.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) protected area data sets include information about European drinking water protected areas, designated waters such as fish protected areas and shellfish protected areas, nitrates vulnerable zones, urban waste water sensitive areas and bathing water protected areas.
The protected areas are part of the Water Framework Directive register of protected areas and were reported in second River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) or under other related reporting obligations.
The data sets are part of the Water Information System for Europe (WISE), and compile information reported by the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland to the European Commission (EC) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Document Actions
Share with others