EU GHG Emissions from Transport Increase for the Second Year in a Row

Total EU GHG emissions increased by 0.5% in 2015, according to new European Environment Agency (EEA) data published this week in two reports: Annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2015 and inventory report 2017 and Analysis of key trends and drivers in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU between 1990 and 2015. The reports provide an overview of the EU’s GHG emission trends. The GHG increase happened for the first time since 2010. EEA notes that higher emissions were caused mainly by increasing road transport, both passenger and freight, and slightly colder winter conditions in Europe, compared to 2014, leading to higher demand for heating. The figure below shows the total GHG emission trend in the EU from 1990-2015.

In 2015, the EU GHG emissions increased only slightly, despite the strongest annual economic growth (+ 2.2 %) in the EU since 2007 and following a 4% decrease in emissions in 2014. From 1990 to 2015, the EU reduced its GHG emissions by 22.1%, already surpassing its 2020 target of reducing emissions by 20%. During the same period, the EU economy grew about 50%.

However, better fuel efficiency in the transport sector was not enough to counter the effects of an increasing demand for transport, EEA says. Energy efficiency improvements and to a lesser extent increased use of less carbon intensive fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and biofuel blends, led to levels of road transport emissions that would have been otherwise higher. Road transport emissions — about 20% of total EU GHG emissions — increased for the second year in a row in 2015, by 1.6%.

The increase was fully accounted for by diesel consumption, whereas gasoline emissions continued declining, according to EEA. Consumption of diesel in Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and Poland were a factor in the overall transport GHG emission increase, according to EEA. About 70% of the overall transport GHG emission increase came from passenger cars, 20% from heavy duty vehicles, 4% from light duty vehicles and the remaining 1% from motorcycles. Emissions from aviation, representing about 4 % of the EU total emissions, increased by 3.3% in 2015.

The table below shows change in road transport emissions by vehicle type in 2015 by member state. While some countries were able to reduce their emissions, others saw significant increases, particularly in light- and heavy-duty trucks.

Tammy Klein is a consultant and strategic advisor providing market and policy intelligence and analysis on transportation fuels to the auto and oil industries, governments, and NGOs. She writes and advises on petroleum fuels, biofuels, alternative fuels, automotive fuels, and fuels policy.