OREANDA-NEWS. Eurostat estimates that in 2016 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion decreased by 0.4% in the EU, compared with the previous year. CO2 emissions are a major contributor to global warming and account for around 80% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. They are influenced by factors such as climate conditions, economic growth, size of the population, transport and industrial activities. Various EU energy efficiency initiatives aim to reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

The largest falls in CO2 emissions were in Malta and Bulgaria, and the highest increases in Finland and Cyprus. CO2 emissions rose in 2016 in a majority of EU Member States, with the highest increase being recorded in Finland (+8.5%), followed by Cyprus (+7.0%), Slovenia (+5.8%) and Denmark (+5.7%).