CO2 emissions in EU states increased by 6.3% in 2021

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Jun 2022 17:46

Italy, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Estonia's CO2 emissions have been on the rise.

Carbon dioxide emissions are crippling the planet's biosphere.

According to the European Statistical Office on Friday, carbon dioxide emissions coming from the use of fossil energy resources in European Union states had increased by 6.3% in 2021.

"In 2021, when most of the COVID-19 containment measures were lifted by the EU Member States, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the EU (mainly oil and oil products, natural gas, coal, and peat) increased by 6.3% compared with the previous year. CO2 emissions from energy use are a major contributor to global warming and account for some 75% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions in the EU," the office said in a statement.

The countries that have witnessed the biggest increase in CO2 emissions are Bulgaria (18%), Estonia (13.1%), Slovakia (11.4%), and Italy (10.6%). The only two countries that have seen a decrease in emissions are Portugal (5.5%) and Finland (1.5%), according to the statement.

According to Eurostat, the CO2 increase is due to the increasing use of solid fossil fuels, which accounted for over 50% of the increase. Liquid fossil fuels accounted for over 29% of the increase, while natural gas accounted for 21%.

Carbon dioxide levels 50% higher than pre-industrial era

Carbon Dioxide levels increase to become 50% higher than in the pre-industrial era. This, according to US government data, pushed the planet and will continue to do so in coming years into conditions that have not existed for millions of years.

Based on the data collected by scientists, the world may still delve into radical climate tragedies despite all efforts to curb carbon emissions. That is, in the best-case scenario, if governments manage to contain carbon emissions, the world will still be at risk of a roll-balling climate crisis.

Today, the world is far away from the best-case scenario since global governments continue to fail at decreasing planet-heating levels.

“It’s depressing that we’ve lacked the collective willpower to slow the relentless rise in CO2,” said Ralph Keeling, a geochemist for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Hawaii. “Fossil-fuel use may no longer be accelerating, but we are still racing at top speed towards a global catastrophe.”

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the Earth’s CO2 levels were about 280ppm for almost 6,000 years. This provided a stable foundation for the advance of human civilization. Ever since then, people have released about 1.5tn tons of CO2. That would be enough to raise the temperatures of the world for years to come, potentially even hundreds of thousands of years to come.