Spain raises greenhouse gas emissions by 5.7% after a three-year period

Greenhouse gas emissions in Spain stood at 294.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) last year, representing an increase of 5.7% compared to 2020 and the first rise after three years of decline. Between 2008 – when the accounting series begins – and 2021 there has been a decrease of 29.6%.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Spain stood at 294.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) last year, representing an increase of 5.7% compared to 2020 and the first rise after three years of decline. Between 2008 – when the accounting series begins – and 2021 there has been a decrease of 29.6%.

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) released on Tuesday these preliminary data for 2021, relating to the emissions made by resident economic units, both in the economic territory and outside it. There are different greenhouse gases. The main ones, due to their level of emissions, are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere increased by 7.1% last year and methane emissions by 1.0%, while nitrous oxide emissions remained at levels similar to those of 2020.

The manufacturing industry accounted for 25.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Households issued 23.0% of the total and agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing 17.3%.

The branches of activity that increased their greenhouse gas emissions the most were transport and storage services (18.3%) and households (10.2%).

Compared to 2008, they decreased more in the supply of electricity, gas, steam, air conditioning and water (–57.7%) and the rest of the branches of activity (–40.8%).

The largest amounts of CO2 emitted last year corresponded to manufacturing industry (70.0 million tons), households (65.0 million) and transport and storage services (36.4 million). On the other hand, agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing expelled the highest amounts of methane (64.0%) and nitrous oxide (77.8%).

OTHER EMISSIONS IN 2020

Other environmental problems that cause harmful effects on the environment and health are acidifying gases, tropospheric ozone precursor gases and particulate matter (fine dust).

In 2020, acidifying gases, which include sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3) – measured in tonnes of sulphur dioxide equivalent (tSO2e) as a function of their degree of acidification – were reduced by 7.7%. The precursor gases of tropospheric ozone, which correspond to non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) -measured in equivalent tons of VOCNM2-, decreased by 12.6%. And emissions of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) fell by 5.8%, reaching 121.9 thousand tons.

The highest emissions of acidifying gases in 2020 corresponded to agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing (1,039.9 thousand tons of tSO2e); manufacturing (162.4) and transport and storage services (127.8).

For its part, the agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries sector emitted the largest amounts of ozone precursor gases in 2020 (523.0 thousand tons of NMVOC equivalent), followed by the manufacturing industry (389.4 thousand tons).

The highest amounts of emissions of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) corresponded in 2020 to agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries (51.1 thousand tons) and households (44.3).

Source: The Vanguard