Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the use of fossil fuels decreased significantly (2.5%) in the European Union in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the European Union.
CO2 emissions contribute significantly to global warming and account for around 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. They are influenced by factors such as climatic conditions, economic growth, population size, transportation and industrial activities. It should also be noted that imports and exports of energy products have an impact on CO2 emissions in the country where fossil fuels are burned. For example, imported coal leads to increased emissions, while imported electricity has no direct effect on the emissions of the importing country but affects the exporting country in which it was produced. According to Eurostat estimates, CO2 emissions decreased in 2018 in a majority of EU Member States, with the highest decrease in Portugal (-9.0%), followed by Bulgaria (- 8.1%), Ireland (-6.8%), Germany (-5.4%), the Netherlands (-4.6%) and Croatia (-4.3%). Increases were recorded in eight Member States: in Latvia (+ 8.5%), ahead of Malta (+ 6.7%), Estonia (+ 4.5%), Luxembourg (+ 3.7%) , Poland (+ 3.5%), Slovakia (+ 2.4%), Finland (+ 1.9%) and Lithuania (+ 0.6%). A complete press release is at your disposal online .
Source: European Commission
