The CO2 emissions of the European Union originating from the burning of fossil fuels for energy use fell by 2.8% in 2022 compared to 2021 but rose by 3.5% in Spain, according to a first estimate published this Friday by Eurostat. Emissions derived from the burning of solid fossil fuels such as coal or oil shale increased on average in the EU by 3 percentage points, while those of oil and its derivatives advanced one point and that of natural gas decreased by 13 points, he specified. the community statistics office.
The joint volume was almost 2.4 gigatons (Gt), added Eurostat in a statement, in which it recalled that CO2 emissions derived from the use of energy “contribute largely to global warming and represent around 75% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions in the EU”. Hydrocarbon-related emissions fell in 17 of the 27 EU Member States, with the Netherlands leading the way (12.8%), followed by Luxembourg (12%), Belgium (9.7%) and Hungary (8%). .6%). However, they increased in Bulgaria (12%), Portugal (9.9%), Malta (4.1%), Spain (3.5%), Estonia (3.9%), Greece (3.3%) , Czechia (2.2%), Croatia (0.8) and Cyprus (0.2%).
The calculation is attributed to the country that burns fossil fuels, so that in the case of the use of gas to produce electricity it leads to an increase in values ​​while electricity imports do not affect, since they are reported in the country where it was generated. , said the statistical office.
Spain closed 2022 with a record in its net balance of electricity exports of 19,841 gigawatt-hours (GWh) due to the difference between sales to France, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco, which totaled 28,462 GWh and advanced 71.4% compared to to 2021, compared to purchases of 8,585 GWh (-47.5%).
Eurostat specified that “a more in-depth analysis” is required to take into account “all imports and exports of different primary and derived energy products, basic products with integrated emissions (such as iron and steel), as well as, in the case of transportation, fuel tourism”. The statistical office also noted that Germany alone accounts for a quarter of the EU’s total CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels for energy use, while Italy and Poland account for 12.4% each and France 10.7%, added Eurostat.
