EU Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme

Dear readers,

At the end of May European Environment Agency published a report called “Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2007 and inventory report 2009″. This report was submitted to the Secretariat of UNFCCC. The huge study (more than 600 pages) presents the level of greenhouse gases emissions in EU-27 in 2007, but also their development from 1990. It shows also the fulfillment of Kyoto targets by individual countries and toghether by EU-15 (EU-27 doesn’t have a common target in Kyoto Protocol). Please read more about some detailed results.

As the title of this article suggests European Union’s GHG emissions decreased in 2007 for the third time within the last three years. The total emissions in EU-27 were 9,3% lower in 2007 than in 1990. In addition, it was an 1,2% decline comparing with 2006 (it was 52 millions tonnes of CO2 equivalent less emissions).

What is important EU-15 was in 2007 5% below the Kyoto’s ‘base year’ (it’s not a single year but level of GHG emissions from 15 member states concerning different years related to individual gases, it also includes emissions from deforestation regarding few countries). The target for 2008-2012 for EU-15 stands for 8%.

Below you can find an interesting table summarizing all results for all member states. For instance only Spain and Greece from EU-15 had an increase in 2007 greenhouse gases emissions in relation to 2006 levels. Regarding whole EU-27 seventeen Member States reduced their GHG emissions in 2007 (base year – 2006).

Table 1: Greenhouse gas emissions in CO2-equivalents (excluding carbon sinks) and Kyoto Protocol targets for 2008–2012 – source official EEA press release

(1) The base year under the Kyoto Protocol for each Member State and EU-15 is further outlined in Table 1.4 and 1.5 in the report. As Cyprus, Malta and EU-27 do not have targets under the Kyoto Protocol, they do not have applicable Kyoto Protocol base years.

Regards,
Anthony