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Average global air and ocean temperatures are rising, leading to the melting of snow and ice and rising global mean sea level. Ocean acidification results from higher CO2 concentrations. With unabated greenhouse gas emissions, climate change could lead to an increasing risk of irreversible shifts in the climate system with potentially serious consequences. Temperature rises of more than 1.5–2 °C above pre-industrial levels are likely to cause major societal and environmental disruptions in many regions. The atmospheric CO2 concentration needs to be stabilised at 350–400 parts per million (ppm) in order to have a 50 % chance of limiting global mean temperature increase to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels (according to the IPCC in 2007, and confirmed by later scientific insights).
The EU emitted close to 5 billion tonnes (Gt) of CO2-equivalent emissions in 2008. It contributes today around 12 % of annual global anthropogenic direct greenhouse gas emissions. The EU is making good progress towards achieving its emission reduction targets. A rapid, sustained and effective transition to a low carbon economy is necessary to mitigate climate change and to meet global greenhouse gas emission targets.
This report presents an overview of the progress achieved so far by the EU, its Member States and other EEA member countries towards their respective targets under the Kyoto Protocol and the EU burden-sharing agreement. The assessment is based on greenhouse gas emission data in Europe for 2008, the first year of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period which runs from 2008 to 2012. The recent availability of 2009 emissions estimates for the EU and a limited number of countries broadens, in these cases, the basis of the assessment to two years of the five-year commitment period.
This report is the annual submission of the greenhouse gas inventory of the European Union to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. It presents greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2008 for EU-27, EU-15, individual Member States and economic sector.
Indicators tracking transport and environment in the European Union
Tracking progress towards Kyoto targets
The present inventory also constitutes the EU‑15 voluntary submission under the Kyoto Protocol.
The TERM 2008 report examines the performance of the transport sector vis-a-vis environmental performance. It concludes that there are plenty of options for synergies between different policy initiatives but also a risk of measures counteracting each other.
According to Article 21 of the Emissions Trading Directive, Member States shall report annually on its application. The reporting obligation allows the Commission to continuously follow the implementation of the Directive and provides information for the Commission's review report under Article 30 of the Directive. By late October 2008, Article 21 reports had been received from all Member States. The responses in those reports were assessed by the EEA and its European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC) and compiled into this report.
Indicator-based report to measure progress of environmental integration within the energy sector.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/publications/publications_topic or scan the QR code.
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