Spain reduced its CO ₂ emissions by 12.4% in 2020 compared to the year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic

Spain emitted 275.3 million tons of _CO2 equivalent in 2020, a year marked by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. The figure represents a 12.4 percent drop in the volume of emissions compared to the previous year, according to data from the National Inventory of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases and other polluting gases.

The data, presented on Thursday by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge to the Delegated Commission of Economic Affairs reflect that emissions in Spain are 5.2 percent of those existing in 1990 and have been reduced by 37.8 percent compared to those of 2005.

Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollution, except ammonia, fell during 2020 largely due to the contribution of renewable production from hydraulics and solar photovoltaics, according to data from the National Inventory of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases and other polluting gases.

Thus, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge reports that emissions are now 5.2 percent lower than in 1990 and 37.8 percent lower than in 2005.

Contributing to this decrease in 2020 was the increase of 23.9 percent in hydroelectric electricity production and a 65.4 percent increase in photovoltaic solar energy production.

The industry fell across the board in most sectors, mainly due to the fall in the production of primary aluminium and the production or processing of non-ferrous metals.

On the other hand, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of the economy to prevent its spread resulted in a 19 percent reduction in transport emissions; a decrease in the demand for electricity of 5.5 percent.

At the same time, the production of renewable energy grew, with an increase of 44 percent of the total electricity generated in 2020 in Spain as a result, above all, of the increase in the last year of 23.9 percent in hydraulic production and 65.4 percent in the production of solar photovoltaics.

According to the inventory of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, this was also due to the lower production of combined cycles, 20.3 percent less than in 2019, and coal plants, which barely represented 2 percent of the energy mix.

The generalized reductions in the industry, led by a decrease in the production of primary aluminum and the production or transformation of non-ferrous metals, represent a 9.3 percent reduction in GHG emissions and this also contributed, although to a lesser extent the reduction of emissions in the use of fluorinated gases (-13%) and the waste sector (-0.5%).

On the other hand, emissions of other polluting gases reached 127 kilotons of sulphur oxides (SOx), 693 kt of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 554 kt of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), 483 kt of ammonia (NH3) and 123 kt of particulate matter less than 2.5 um (PM2.5).

Thus, the level of emissions has been reduced in 2020 compared to the year prior to the pandemic in most of the main air pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, NOx (-15.1%), sulfur oxides, SOx (-23.9%), non-methane volatile organic compounds, NWFD (-5%) and fine particles, PM2.5 (-5.6%). NH3 (ammonia) is the only air pollutant that has increased its emissions (2.7%) compared to 2019.

With these figures, the five air pollutants with emission reduction targets met in 2020 the reduction commitment set for Spain except ammonia (NH3), which increased by 0.7 percent compared to those of 2005 when the reduction target of the European Union regulations established a 3 percent.

As for NOx emissions, in 2020 they registered a decrease of 15.1% compared to the previous year. This decrease was mainly related to a 21 percent decrease in emissions due to electricity generation.

The inventory reflects that 2020 was an extremely warm and normal year in amount of precipitation, which explains, along with the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the decrease in electricity demand of 5.5 percent.

Specifically, the decrease in the use of fossil fuels and the increase in renewable energies stand out, which also favored the decrease in emissions from this sector.

On the other hand, the report states that NOx emissions from road transport were reduced by 21 percent, which was contributed by the restrictions on mobility associated with the pandemic, as well as the continuous technological improvement of the car fleet.

As for emissions of volatile organic compounds other than methane (VOCs), the Inventory concludes that in 2020 they decreased by 5 percent in Spain as a whole. These, fundamentally, are due to the use of solvents (41.1% of global emissions), and this group of activities experienced a decrease of 3.9 percent.

Likewise, there are decreases in emissions due to fuel consumption in the residential, commercial, institutional sectors (-0.9%), which also have an impact on the reduction of NMVOC emissions.

On the other hand, emissions from coal also fell, according to the National Inventory. Thus, it specifies that SOx emissions fell by 23.9% due to a sharp decrease in coal consumption, which has caused the 54.8 percent decrease in emissions from the electricity generation sector, which go from being responsible for 18.7 percent of total emissions of this pollutant nationwide to 11.1 percent.

Other notable declines, although smaller in absolute terms, are those of the manufacturing and construction industries (-17.2%) and domestic navigation (-37%).

NH3 emissions in 2020, generated by 96.7 percent by agricultural and livestock activities, increased by 2.7 percent nationwide compared to the previous year, mainly due to an increase in inorganic nitrogen fertilizers (including fertilization with urea).

Finally, regarding particulate matter emissions, PM 2.5, they also fell, by 5.6 percent, due to the decreases registered in the manufacturing and construction industries (-10.5%) and road transport (-21.8%).

Source: Europe Press