Archive:Greenhouse gas emission statistics - carbon footprints

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Data from November 2024.

Planned article update: 31 January 2025

Highlights

In 2022, the EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions (carbon footprint) was 20% higher than its production-based.

From 2010 to 2021, EU's consumption-based CO₂ emissions decreased by 16%, while production-based CO₂-emissions decreased by 19%.

Figure 1: CO₂-emissions by perspective, EU 2010-2022, billion tonnes
Source: Eurostat (env_ac_co2fp)

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 of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions based on these two perspectives, as estimated by Eurostat. In 2022, global CO₂-emissions were estimated to amount to 38.2 billion tonnes. The EU produced 3 billion tonnes, which represents around 8 % of worldwide CO₂-emissions. Of these, some 2.4 billion tonnes served final demand (consumption) within the EU, and some 0.6 billion tonnes served consumption in the rest of the world e.g. through exports out of the EU. The EU's consumption (final demand of goods and services) caused 3.5 billion tonnes of global CO₂-emissions, which is about 9 % of worldwide emissions. Of these, some 1.2 billion tonnes originated from non-EU countries e.g. through imports into the EU.

Table 1: Global CO₂-emissions - EU vis-a-vis the rest of the world, 2022, billion tonnes
Source: Eurostat (env_ac_co2fp)

Origin and destination of the EU's CO₂-emissions

Table 2 presents the 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 2022, the EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions were estimated at 3.5 billion tonnes. About 67 % of those originated from the EU economy itself. Of the remaining 33 %, China had the largest share in the EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions with 10.2 %, followed by Russia (3.6 %), and the United States and India (both 1.9 %). Some 9.5 % originated from non-EU and non-G20 countries (rest of the world grouping in Table 2).

Table 2: Origin of the EU's consumption-based CO₂-emissions, 2022
Source: Eurostat (env_ac_co2fp)

Table 3 presents the 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, takes place. In 2022, the EU's production-based CO₂-emissions were estimated at 3.0 billion tonnes. About 80 % of those were due to consumption within the EU economy itself. Of the remaining 20 %, the United States had the largest share in the EU's production-based CO₂-emissions, followed by China with 3 %. Around 5 % of the EU's production-based emissions were due to final demand in non-EU and non-G20 countries (rest of the world grouping in Table 3).

a table showing the destination of EU's production-based CO₂-emissions in 2022 by country of destination. In the EU and some countries in the rest of the world.

Table 3: Destination of the EU's production-based CO₂-emissions, 2022
Source: Eurostat (env_ac_co2fp)

Source data for tables and graphs

Greenhouse gas emission statistics - carbon footprints: tables and figures

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. 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 an environmental variable – also referred to as Leontief-type modelling. Two main Eurostat data sources feed into the model 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 (EU) No 691/2011. Eurostat estimates CO₂ air emissions accounts for non-European countries and the rest of the world block based on the global emission database EDGAR and the OECD database on CO₂ emissions from air transport.

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, e.g. accumulated value added along certain production chains.

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