Malta registers largest drop in carbon emissions across EU

With a decrease of 18.2%, Malta in 2016 registered the largest drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across the European Union, Eurostat data has shown.

Other countries to mark significant decreases include Bulgaria (-7%), Portugal (-5.7%) and the United Kingdom (-4.8%).

However, taking the EU as a whole, it is estimated that CO2 decreased only by 0.4% in 2016 when compared to the previous year. This is due to the fact that, according to Eurostat estimates, CO2 emissions rose in 2016 in a majority of EU member states. The highest increase was recorded in Finland (+8.5%), followed by Cyprus (+7%), Slovenia (+5.8%) and Denmark (+5.7%).

Estimated change in CO2 emissions between 2015 and 2016

CO2 emissions are a major contributor to global warming and account for around 80% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. They are influenced by factors such as climate conditions, economic growth, size of the population, transport and industrial activities.

Imports and exports of energy products have an impact on CO2 emissions in the country where fossil fuels are burned.