Brussels:The EU economy's seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the second quarter of 2026 were estimated at 833 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), marking a 0.5% decrease compared with the first quarter of 2026, which recorded emissions of 837 million tonnes of CO2-eq.
According to Emirates News Agency, the EU's gross domestic product (GDP) saw an increase of 0.8% during the same period, indicating economic growth alongside the reduction in emissions.
The reduction in emissions was primarily driven by decreases in emissions from electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply, which accounted for a reduction of 0.44 percentage points (pp). Households contributed a decrease of 0.22 pp, and transportation and storage saw a decrease of 0.01 pp. These gains were partially offset by increased emissions from other economic activities, mainly services, which rose by 0.14 pp, and manufacturing, which increased by 0.05 pp.
In terms of regional performance, seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 18 EU countries, increased in 8, and remained unchanged in 1 country. Estonia, Latvia, and Finland saw the most significant reductions in emissions, with decreases of 15.5%, 10.6%, and 7.6%, respectively. On the other hand, Malta, Ireland, and Romania experienced the largest increases in emissions, at 4.8%, 1.0%, and 0.8%, respectively.
Notably, the 8 EU countries that recorded increases in greenhouse gas emissions also saw an increase in their GDP. Among the 18 countries that reduced emissions, 16 recorded a higher or stable GDP, highlighting a trend of economic growth alongside environmental improvements.