Ministry: Eurostat carbon report doesn't provide full picture
The Ministry of the Environment has pointed out that the fresh report by Eurostat according to which carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion in Estonia increased at the second fastest rate in the European Union last year only reflects energy production and does not offer a full picture of emission trends.
"In the survey by Eurostat only carbon dioxide originating in fossil fuels used for the consumption of energy is reflected. The info from Eurostat rather is a part of the whole picture and does not offer a comprehensive view," spokesperson for the ministry Berit-Helena Lamp told the Baltic News Service on Saturday.
She said it cannot be ruled out that in other sectors carbon dioxide emissions declined so much that the net outcome for 2017 is a reduction in emissions by Estonia.
"Real figures about Estonia's carbon dioxide emissions in 2017 will be available no earlier than in January 2019. The Eurostat percentages are estimates based on emissions in previous years," Lamp added.
The Eurostat report explicitly notes that imports and exports of energy products have an impact on carbon dioxide emissions in the country where fossil fuels are burned: for example if coal is imported this leads to an increase in emissions, while if electricity is imported, it has no direct effect on emissions in the importing country, as these would be reported in the exporting country where it is produced.
According to the estimate published by Eurostat on Friday, carbon dioxide emissions rose in 2017 in a majority of EU member states, with the highest increase recorded in Malta, 12.8 percent, followed by Estonia with 11.3 percent, Bulgaria with 8.3 percent, Spain with 7.4 percent and Portugal with 7.3 percent. Decreases were registered in seven member states: Finland,-5.9 percent, Denmark, -5.8 percent, the United Kingdom, -3.2 percent, Ireland, -2.9 percent, Belgium, -2.4 percent, Latvia, -0.7 percent, and Germany, -0.2 percent.
Eurostat estimates that in 2017 carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion increased by 1.8 percent in the EU, compared with the previous year. carbon dioxide emissions are a major contributor to global warming and account for around 80 percent of all EU greenhouse gas emissions.
Editor: Dario Cavegn