Filenews 17 August 2022 - by Despina Psyllou
A noticeable increase in pollutants, which amounts to 14,3% is recorded by Cyprus in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the corresponding period a year ago. This leap places our country in fifth place among the EU member states in terms of greenhouse gas production. At the top of the ranking is Bulgaria (37.6%), while only two countries managed to reduce their emissions. These are data from quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions by economic activity published yesterday by Eurostat. As clarified, these increases were largely due to the effects of the economic recovery that followed, after the sharp decline in activity due to the crisis brought by Covid-19.
According to the data, emissions in the first quarter of 2022 increased in almost all EU Member States compared to 2021. The largest increase in its pollutants was recorded by Bulgaria with 37.6%. They are followed by Malta (20.8%), Ireland (20.2%), Estonia (17.9%), Cyprus (14.3%), Greece (14.3%), Portugal (13.4%), Spain (11.6%), Austria (11.1%), Hungary (10.5%), Lithuania (8.6%), Slovenia (8.5%), Italy (7.3%), Croatia (6.6%), Belgium (6.1%), Romania (6%), Sweden (5.5%), Poland (5.5%), France (5.3%), Latvia (3.9%), The Czech Republic (3.1%), Germany (2.3%), Denmark (1.7%), Luxembourg (0.5%) and Slovakia (0.2%).
On the contrary, the only Member States that recorded a reduction in emissions of their pollutants were the Netherlands (-9%) as well as Finland (-1%).
In the first quarter of 2022, economy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the EU totalled 1.029 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). In other words, it increased by 7% compared to the first quarter of 2020 and by 6% in 2021. However, it remains slightly below pre-COVID levels in the first quarter of 2019, when the EU economy emitted 1.035 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The economic sectors responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions were households (24%), electricity and gas supply (21%), manufacturing (20%), agriculture (12%), transport and storage (10%). Greenhouse gas emissions increased in all sectors compared to the same period in 2021, except for households that remained at the same levels (245 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent). The largest increases were recorded in transport and storage (+21%), mining (+15%) and construction (+11%).
Comparing, however, the first quarter of 2020 with the corresponding one of 2019, the opposite picture is recorded. Almost all EU Member States recorded a reduction in emissions, which is in line with the period of the pandemic and the restrictive measures imposed.
