The European Environment Agency has warned that Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions will rebound in 2021 after lockdown periods due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Preliminary data for European Union member states showed that emissions rose by five percent in 2021 compared to 2020, mainly due to the post-Covid economic recovery. However, emissions are still six percent lower than they were in 2019 before the outbreak.
Agency expert Melanie Sporer said the European Union’s target of reducing net emissions by 55 percent by 2030 “is not expected to be met in line with current expectations”, noting that “we will need to double our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Every year”. until 2030 compared to the period from 1990 to 2020, to achieve various goals.
The agency noted that the greatest efforts in this regard were made in the energy supply sector, which is the industry with the highest emissions.
Emissions from this sector decreased by 43 percent between 2005 and 2020, while they fell by 15 percent from the transport sector and two percent from the agricultural sector.
The overall share of energy consumption from renewable energy sources remains stable in Europe at 22 percent after several years of sharp growth, and this is a concern at a time of growing need to accelerate the transition to green energy.
Source: AFP