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Data from June 2023.

Planned article update: October 2023

Highlights

In 2020, EU’s consumption-based CO₂-emissions (carbon footprint) was 15% higher than its production-based.
Over the last decade, both EU’s consumption- and production-based CO₂-emissions decreased by around one quarter.
an image of a line graph showing CO₂-emissions by perspective in the EU from 2010 to 2020.
Figure 1: CO₂-emissions by perspective, EU 2010-2020, billion tonnes


Global CO₂-emissions – EU vis-à-vis the rest of the world

Global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions can be considered from two ‘perspectives’: - the production-based perspective presents emissions from economic production activities in the hosting economy, e.g. CO₂-emissions by the EU economy. - the consumption perspective presents the emissions linked to final demand (consumption) of products and the country or region in which the final demand takes place. This includes the global emissions that occur throughout the global production chain of a product that arrives in the respective country or region for final demand. This is also referred to as carbon footprint.

Table 1 provides an overview on global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions based on these two perspectives, as estimated by Eurostat. In 2020, global CO₂-emissions are estimated to amount to 34.4 billion tonnes. The EU produced 2.8 billion tonnes, which represents around 8 % of worldwide CO₂-emissions. Of these, some 2.3 billion tonnes served final demand (consumption) within the EU, and some 0.5 billion tonnes served consumption in the rest of the world e.g. through exports out of the EU. EU's consumption (final demand of goods and services) caused 3.2 billion tonnes of global CO₂-emissions, which is about 9 % of worldwide emissions. Of these, some 0.9 billion tonnes originated from non-EU countries e.g. through imports into the EU.

a table showing global CO₂-emissions of the EU vis-a-vis the rest of the world in 2020.
Table 1: Global CO₂-emissions - EU vis-a-vis the rest of the world, 2020, billion tonnes


Origin and destination of EU’s CO₂-emissions

Table 2 presents EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions by their origin. That is, the country or region where the CO₂-emissions are originally emitted during the production for final use of products within the EU economy. In 2020, EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions are estimated at 3.2 billion tonnes. More than 70% of those originate from the EU economy itself. Some 10% originate from non-EU and non-G20 countries (rest of the World grouping in Table 2). With 6.6 %, China is the single country with the biggest share in EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions, followed by Russia (3.5 %) and the United States (2.2 %).

a table showing the origin of EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions in 2020 in the EU and some countries in the rest of the world.
Table 2: Origin of EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions, 2020

Table 3 presents EU’s production-based CO₂-emissions by their destination. That is, the country or region where final use of the products, causing CO₂-emissions in the EU economy, take place. In 2020, EU's production-based CO₂-emissions are estimated at 2.8 billion tonnes. More than 80% of those are due to consumption within the EU economy itself. Some 5.5 % of EU's production-based emissions are due to final demand in non-EU and non-G20 countries (rest of the World grouping in Table 3). With 3.3 %, the United States is the single country with the biggest share in the EU's production-based CO₂-emissions, followed by China with some 3 %.

a table showing the destination of EU's production-based CO₂-emissions in 2020 by country of origin. In the EU and some countries in the rest of the world.
Table 3: Destination of EU's production-based CO₂-emissions, 2020

Source data for tables and graphs

Data sources

The sources for estimates of production-based CO₂-emissions and consumption-based CO₂-emissions are not identical. Production-based CO₂-emissions are directly observable and Eurostat uses air emissions accounts to estimate them. Consumption-based emissions are not directly observable and statistics must be modelled. The consumption-based estimates of CO₂-emissions presented above are compiled with the help of a multi-regional world input-output model extended by environmental variable – also referred to as Leontief-type modelling. Two main Eurostat data sources feed into the modelling to compile the estimates presented above.

  • 1. Global air emissions accounts for carbon dioxide (CO₂)

The air emission accounts provide production-based estimates of air emissions. Eurostat collects air emissions accounts (including CO₂) from European national statistical institutes based on Regulation 691/2011. Eurostat estimates CO₂ air emissions accounts for non-European countries and the rest of the world block based on UNFCCC greenhouse gas emission inventories (if available) and the global emission database EDGAR.

  • 2. Global input-output tables

Eurostat produces and disseminates inter-country input-output tables representing the global economy. This data set is referred to as FIGARO tables and is disseminated via Eurostat’s online database. The granulation is 46 geographical entities (27 EU Member States, 18 main trading partners (including non-EU G-20 economies), and one rest of the world block), 64 production activities (industries) and products respectively, and five categories of final demand.

Context

Global inter-country input-output models – extended or not by environmental indicators – are a powerful tool to analyse the socioeconomic and environmental effects of globalisation and help answer policy questions addressing a wide range of policy areas, such as e.g. accumulated value added along certain production chains.


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