Emissions increase after lockdown
23rd April 2023
EUROPE: EU greenhouse gas emissions increased by 6.2% from 2020 to 2021 but remained at lower level than before the pandemic, the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) report reveals.
According to the analysis in the EEA’s Annual EU greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2021 and inventory report 2023, the main reasons for the emission increase were the overall economic recovery after the 2020 lockdowns, increased coal use in the power sector and higher transport demand.
Considering the entire 1990-2021 period, there is still a clear, long-term trend of decreasing emissions in the EU. The total net greenhouse gas emissions of the 27 EU Member States have decreased by about 30% from 1990 to 2021 while the EU economy has grown by 61%, the EEA report notes.
Meanwhile, total F-gas emissions decreased by 4.53% from 2020-2021, with CO2 equivalent HFC emissions down by 4.11%. Following the implementation of the F-gas regulation and phase down in 2015, the total F-gas emissions have fallen by 19.49%, while HFCs (in CO2 equivalents) are down 19.92%.
