The EEA has published the ‘Annual EU greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2021 and inventory report 2023’, which is the EU’s official submission of greenhouse gas emission data to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The emission inventory shows that EU greenhouse gas emissions increased considerably, by 6.2%, from 2020 to 2021 but remained at lower level than before the pandemic. According to the EEA analysis, the main reasons for the emission increase from 2020 to 2021 were the overall economic recovery after the 2020 lockdowns, increased coal use in the power sector and higher transport demand. Considering the entire 1990-2021 period, there is still a clear, long-term trend of decreasing emissions in the EU. The total net greenhouse gas emissions of the 27 EU Member States have decreased by about 30% from 1990 to 2021 while the EU economy has grown by 61%, the EEA report notes.
[2]