European Greenhouse Gas Emissions Coming Down

BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 15, 2004 (ENS) - Greenhouse gas emissions are now moving in the right direction - down - but only in the 15 countries that comprised the European Union before the May 1 enlargement took in 10 additional countries. The decrease is due to a shift from coal to gas and reduced emissions from manufacturing industries and households, government agencies said.

Data issued today by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency show that after an increase in earlier years, emissions of the six greenhouse gases addressed by the Kyoto Protocol dropped by 0.5 percent in 2002.

The reduction takes the EU a small step closer to its target of an eight percent cut within the next eight years. The Kyoto Protocol requires this reduction in the first commitment period, the five year period 2008-2012.

New initiatives to reduce emissions have been taken since 2002, and they will speed up the reduction in the coming years, the Commission says.

One important initiative is the EU Emissions Trading Scheme starting in January that will allow energy intensive industries to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas, in the most cost-effective way.

Not contributing to climate warming or traffic congestion, European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom of Sweden rides her bike in Brussels. (Photo courtesy Office of the Commissioner)

But this positive news only holds true for a few member states, Wallstrom said. "The majority of member states urgently need to take additional measures and to continue to implement measures to tackle climate change.”

In the medium and long term, she said, much greater reductions in emissions will be needed to prevent climate change.

The emissions from the six greenhouse gases increased in the EU15 by 0.2 in 2000 and 1.3 percent in 2001.

In 2002, emissions were 0.5 percent lower than in the previous year.

The data show emissions in 2002 were almost three percent lower than the base year of the Kyoto Protocol of 1990. But this decrease still leaves the EU15 with a long way to go to meet its short term commitment under the Kyoto Protocol.

The Commission says that assuming the eight percent reduction between the base year and 2008-2012 were to follow a linear path, emissions should have fallen by 4.8 percent by 2002.

Instead, the EU15 is 1.9 percentage points above the Kyoto track.

Only four countries - France, Germany, Sweden and the UK - are on track, without use of the Kyoto Protocol’s trading mechanisms, which allow reductions to be made in other countries to comply with the national targets.

The other EU15 member states are heading towards missing their emission targets, some by a substantial margin. This is the case for Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Denmark and Greece.

Some of these countries already have concrete plans to fulfill at least parts of their commitments with the market-based flexible mechanisms allowed under the Kyoto Protocol.

Joint Implementation allows Kyoto Protocol emissions credits when advanced technology is transferred to other industrialized countries, while the Clean Development Mechanism allows credits for technology transfer to developing countries.

Seven EU member states reduced their emissions in 2002.

Industrial Skyline, Middlesbrough, England (Photo by Ian Britton courtesy FreeFoto)

Increases in emissions of 10 percent from 2001 to 2002 occurred in Luxembourg, the highest emissions increase, although the smallest country. The reason for the large increase in Luxembourg was the construction of power plants and thus the reduction of electricity imports, the Commission said.

Emissions increased around four percent in Spain and Portugal where dry weather conditions caused lower production of hydroelectric power.

Initial analysis indicates that Spain, Portugal and Ireland are the furthest away from their target the Environment Agency said. Portugal’s emissions in 2002 stood 41 percent higher than in 1990 - its Kyoto target allows for an increase of 27 percent only.

Spain stood 39 percent higher, while it is allowed an increase of only 15 percent.

Ireland's emissions are 28.9 percent higher than its Kyoto target, which allows a 13 percent increase over 1990 emissions.

Germany, the largest emitter in the EU, has achieved the biggest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, down by 19 percent. Luxembourg and the United Kingdom followed with emission reductions of about 15 percent since 1990.

Sweden, France and Denmark have also reduced their emissions since 1990 by 0.8 to 3.7 percent.

The assessment covers the EU15 only because the 10 new member states were not yet legally obliged to submit data under the Monitoring Mechanism. The EU enlargement will not affect the EU15 Kyoto commitment.