Commissioner welcomes fall in EU greenhouse gas emissions for fifth year running

The European Environment Agency published on 2 June 2010 the latest EU inventory of greenhouse gas emissions showing that emissions fell again significantly in 2008, the first year of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period. European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard welcomed the news. The fall marks the fifth consecutive annual decrease.

The emissions inventory for 2008, the latest year for which complete data is available, shows that EU-15 emissions dropped by 1.9% from 2007 while the economy grew by 0.6 %. The reduction takes EU-15 emissions to 6.9% below their levels in the base year (1990 in most cases). This brings the EU-15 closer to reaching its Kyoto Protocol target of reducing emissions in the 2008-2012 commitment period to an average of 8% below the base year level. EU-27 emissions fell 2% over the year to 11.3% below the 1990 level.

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• IP/10/659:Commissioner Hedegaard welcomes fall in EU greenhouse gas emissions for fifth year running