EU economy greenhouse gas emissions up 6% YoY in Q3 2021

In the pre-pandemic third quarter of 2019, emissions amounted to 891 million tonnes, according to the data on quarterly estimates for greenhouse gas emissions by economic activity published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

In the third quarter of 2021, the economic sectors responsible for most emissions of greenhouse gases were manufacturing (23 per cent of the total), electricity supply (21 per cent), and households and agriculture (both 14 per cent).

Based on economic activity data, in most EU Member States, the third quarter of 2021 showed an increase of greenhouse gas emissions compared with the same quarter of 2020, reflecting recovery from the pandemic.

Emissions in the third quarter of 2021 decreased in Slovenia (-2.6 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2020), Luxembourg (-2.3 per cent) and the Netherlands (-1.6 per cent). On the other hand, the largest increases in emissions were recorded in Bulgaria (22.7 per cent), Latvia (16.2 per cent) and Greece (+13.1 per cent).

Despite the effect of the economic rebound between the third quarters of 2020 and 2021, the long-term trend of EU greenhouse gas emissions displays a steady reduction towards the EU targets.