19 November 2010
The gap between the transport sector’s increased greenhouse gas emissions and cuts from other sectors grew again in 2008, as reported by European group, T&E ‘Transport & Environment’. Between 1990 and 2008, transport emissions increased in the EU by 34% while emissions from other sectors decreased by 14%. Consequently, the share of transport in total emissions rose further from 28 to 29%; in 1990, transport’s share was 21%. Aviation and shipping accounted for 7% of total CO2 emissions, and 24% of transport emissions. In 1990, these figures were 38% and 18% respectively.
Emissions from international aviation and shipping have been growing at higher rates than those of transport as a whole. Emissions from international aviation more than doubled between 1990 and 2008 (growth of 110%), with a stabilisation in 2008. The average annual emission growth since 1990 has been 4.2%.
This latest report from T&E on transport emissions is described as a complement to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) submission to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), as it tackles the continuing confusion over the transport sector’s contribution to the EU’s CO2 emissions. This confusion has arisen because the EEA’s figures leave out emissions from international shipping and aviation and the Kyoto protocol does not allocate theses emissions to individual countries, so total EU figures tend not include these figures.