The countries of the European Union have reduced their joint emissions by 31% since 1990a decline that has progressively accelerated over the last ten years. This is one of the main conclusions of the report “Evolution of greenhouse gas emissions in Spain 2005-2022”, prepared by Carbon Hub Liken and published by Fundación Naturgy, with data collection until 2022.
And in the case of Spain, a clear reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions stands out. This evolution implies a reduction from 2005 to 2020 of approximately 37%.
Data corroborated by a recent report from the European Commission, which presents in detail the state of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. From 2005 to 2023, Spain has accelerated with notable improvement in key sectors such as of energy and industrial processes. Per capita emissions have also decreased significantly, in line with European climate goals
He “Study of the Evolution of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Spain 2005-2020” shows the evolution of the Spanish economy and its Greenhouse Gas emissions over recent years and in this case, the Spanish scenario during that same period of time presents a different profile to that of Europe, especially due to the evolution of its economy, especially since 2000.
If at European level the peak of emissions was reached in 1990, in Spain this peak was reached considerably later, in 2005. The data show how total emissions in Spain are in 2022 at levels similar to those of 1990, although with a significant effort in mitigating emissions in an economy much larger than that of that same date.
Highly relevant report
This report analyzes the evolution of the Spanish economy and its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the last 18 years, coinciding with the period of implementation of the GHG emissions rights trading regime. It is a report of great relevance given the crucial moment in which society faces great challenges in the context of international agreements on climate change and the objectives of the European Green Deal.
It is worth highlighting the different evolution of emissions from the different sectors since 2005, in which it can be seen how The electricity and energy generation sector has reduced its emissions by more than 60%with a particularly striking trend since 2015. This decline can be attributed to the increase in the use of renewable energy sources, the closure of coal plants and the improvement in the efficiency of electricity generation.
Regarding the evolution of homes, Since 2005 emissions have been reduced by nearly 30%. An evolution and trend with a strong correlation with the progress of the economic situation and with the predominant seasonal weather conditions in each geographic area, whether due to harsh winters or summers with heat waves.
Regarding absorptions, there has been an increase in its role in Spain since 2005, with an increase of 39%, which highlights the importance of its role in the emissions neutralization and compensation process.
Regarding the future, the report provides a vision of the path followed by the national economy and its emissions patterns over 40 years. This analysis highlights the objective of reducing total emissions by a percentage of 23% compared to 1990 emissions, going from the 290 million tons of CO2 emitted in 1990 to 221 million tons of CO2 set as a goal for 2030.