Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the EU decreased year-on-year by 0.4 percent, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), announced on Thursday.
CO2 emissions are a major contributor to global warming and account for around 80 percent of all EU greenhouse gas emissions.
"They are influenced by factors such as climate conditions, economic growth, size of population, transport and industrial activities," Eurotstat stated.
Eurostat underlined that imports and exports of energy products have an impact on CO2 emissions in the country where fossil fuels are burned. For example, if coal is imported an increase in emissions occurs, whereas if electricity is imported, it has no direct effect on emissions in the importing country, as these would be reported in the exporting country where it is produced.
The largest falls in CO2 emissions in 2016 were in Malta and Bulgaria, and the highest increases were seen in Finland and Cyprus, according to Eurostat estimates.
"CO2 emissions rose in 2016 in a majority of EU member states, with the highest increase being recorded in Finland (+8.5 percent), followed by Cyprus (+7.0 percent), Slovenia (+5.8 percent) and Denmark (+5.7 percent)," according to the data.
In addition, decreases were registered in eleven member states, notably in Malta (-18.2 percent), Bulgaria (-7.0 percent), Portugal (-5.7 percent) and the United Kingdom (-4.8 percent).
(Anadolu Agency)
