Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS (i65)

In 2022, the non-ETS sectors greenhouse gas emissions (not covered by the European Unionʹs emissions trading system: housing, transport, services, agriculture, etc.) in Belgium amounted to 66.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, that figure must be reduced to 41.8 million tonnes. The projections of the Draft update of the Belgian National Energy and Climate Plan indicate that this objective will not be reached (data available in November 2024). The non-ETS sectors greenhouse gas emissions are therefore developing unfavourably.

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Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS - Belgium - trend assessment

million tonnes CO2 equivalent

 20002005201020152020202220252030
observations--78.978.972.764.966.8----
projection (PNEC 2023)------------62.746.8
objective 203041.841.841.841.841.841.841.841.8

Projection based on the parameters of the WAM (With Additional Measures) scenario of the 2023 NECP.

European Environment Agency (2024), Greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors, https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/esd-4 (consulted on 10/10/2024); CONCERE and National Climate Commission (2023), Draft update of the Belgian National Energy and Climate Plan, https://www.nationalenergyclimateplan.be/en (consulted on 10/10/2024).

Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS - Belgium

million tonnes CO2 equivalent

 2005201020152017202020222022//20052022//2017
Belgium78.978.972.770.864.966.8-1.0-1.2
//: Average Growth Rates

European Environment Agency (2024), Greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors, https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/esd-4 (consulted on 10/10/2024).

Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS - EU27

billion tonnes CO2 equivalent

 2005201020152017202020222022//20052022//2017
EU272.52.42.22.32.12.1-0.9-1.5
//: Average Growth Rates

European Environment Agency (2024), Greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors, https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/esd-4 (consulted on 10/10/2024).

Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS - Belgium and international comparison

tonnes CO2 equivalent per capita

 2005201020152017202020222022//20052022//2017
Belgium7.57.26.56.25.65.7-1.6-1.7
EU275.65.44.95.14.64.7-1.1-1.5
//: Average Growth Rates

European Environment Agency (2024), Greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors, https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/esd-4; Eurostat (2024), Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates at national level, Population on 1 January [demo_gind], https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat(consulted on 10/10/2024); calculations FPB.

Greenhouse gas emissions non-ETS by region - Belgium

tonnes CO2 equivalent per capita

 201320142015201620172018201920202020//2013
Brussels-Capital Region3.43.03.13.23.13.02.92.7-3.4
Flemish Region7.26.77.07.16.77.06.76.0-2.6
Walloon Region6.86.56.66.76.56.86.76.0-1.8
//: Average Growth Rates

National Climate Commission (2023), Report Soldes ESD régionaux, in French and Dutch (consulted on 22/03/2023).

Definition: this indicator measures greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sectors that are not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) introduced in 2005. This system was established in 2005 in the European Union for companies emitting high levels of CO2 (e.g. power generation, metallurgy, non-metallic ores or fertilisers). GHG emissions are therefore divided into emissions from the sectors covered by the EU-ETS and emissions from sectors that are not covered by this system (also known as 'ESR sectors' for Effort Sharing Regulation). These ESR-sectors mainly include transport (excluding aviation), services, housing, agriculture, waste and industries not covered by the ETS. The indicator is expressed in millions of tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2 eq.). Comparisons between EU27 countries are based on emissions per capita. Data come from Eurostat.

Goal: GHG emissions from non-ETS sectors must be reduced by 47% between 2005 and 2030.

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include goal 13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts".

The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development includes objective 31: "The Belgian GHG emissions will be reduced domestically by at least 80% to 95% by 2050 as compared to their 1990 level"(Belgian Official Gazette, 08/10/2013).

At European level, Regulation (EU) 2018/842 set a 30% reduction target for emissions from the ESR sectors between 2005 and 2030. In 2023, Regulation (EU) 2023/857 sets a new emissions reduction target for 2030 of 40% below 2005 levels. This new regulation also provides for a breakdown of the effort by Member State and sets a reduction in ESR emissions for Belgium of 47% between 2005 and 2030 (instead of the 35% initially set in Regulation 2018/842).

International comparison: between 2005 and 2022, the decrease in GHG emissions of the ESR sectors in Belgium was of the same order of magnitude than that observed in the EU27 (about 15%). When it comes to emissions per capita, the emissions of the ESR sectors in Belgium reach 5.7 tonnes per capita, compared to an EU27 average of 4.7 tonnes in 2022. When Member States are divided into three groups, Belgium is part of the group with the poorest performance in 2022. Only Luxembourg and Ireland have higher emissions per capita. In that year, Malta ranked first with 2.6 t/capita and Luxembourg last with 10.8 t/capita.

UN indicator: the selected indicator does not correspond to any monitoring indicator for the SDGs but is related to goal 13 because the fight against climate change requires a significant reduction in GHG emissions.

Sources

More information is available in French and Dutch.