Greenhouse gas emissions generated by the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors did not materially increase or decrease over a 13 year period to 2021, according to a new European Union (EU) report.
The Eurostat report on EU economy green house gas (GHG) emissions generated by economic activities between 2008 and 2021 shows that there was an overall decline of 22% in GHG over the 13 year period under review.
The report comes in the same week that the Irish government launched the Climate Action Plan 2023 which set out specific measures to halve Ireland’s GHG emissions by 2030 and put “Ireland on course to becoming carbon neutral by 2050”.
According to Eurostat emissions of greenhouse gases generated by economic activities in 2021 stood at 3.6 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents which was 22% lower than it had been in 2008.
The manufacturing industry across the EU generated the highest GHG emissions in 2021, totaling 800 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents which represented 22% of all greenhouse gases emitted.
This was followed by households, which generated 740 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents which represented 21% of emitted greenhouses gases.
Between 2008 and 2021 the biggest decrease of GHG emissions was recorded in mining and quarrying industries which declined by 42%.
However the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning sectors also registered a 39% decrease in GHG emissions while emissions from manufacturing declined by 23% also.
In 2021 the largest decrease of GHG emissions was recorded in the supply of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning which fell to 720 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2021 – in 2008 the corresponding figure was 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
According to Eurostat analysis of most economic activities highlights that carbon dioxide was the most emitted greenhouse gas.
However the agriculture, forestry and fishing and mining and quarrying sectors were the only economic activities where emissions of methane and nitrous oxide -expressed in CO2 equivalents – were greater than those of carbon dioxide.
The latest Eurostat report also examines GHG emitted by member states which vary considerably.
The report highlights that this variance is due to different economic structures and different mixes of renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
It details that in nine EU member states manufacturing was responsible for the majority of GHGs in 2021, while in eight member states businesses supplying electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning were responsible for the highest GHG emissions
