EU ETS emissions decreased by 3.9% in 2018

In 2018, greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) decreased by 3.9%, despite the economic growth (+2%) in the region. The EU ETS covers more than 11 000 stationary installations (power plants and manufacturing installations) in the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, and includes emissions from around 500 airlines flying between European airports.

GHG emissions from stationary installations decreased by 4.1% in 2018, reaching 1,682 MtCO₂eq. The largest reduction was achieved in the power sector, as renewable continued to replace coal-fired and gas-fired power generation. In the industrial sector, emissions dipped by 0.7%, thanks to reduction efforts in the chemical branch.

However, emissions from aviation continued to increase steadily and rose by 3.9% in 2018, to 66.9 MtCO₂eq. Aviation companies received free allowances covering 30.5 MtCO₂eq (45.5%) and acquired allowances from other sectors (mainly from the power sector) that covered 53% of their emissions; the remaining 1.5% was covered by international credits.