Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus recorded the highest per capita greenhouse gas footprint in the European Union in 2023, according to Eurostat. The ranking is based on consumption-related emissions.
EU consumption footprint and methodology
Eurostat reported that the greenhouse gas footprint of goods and services consumed in the EU was 9.0 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per capita in 2023, down from 10.0 tonnes in 2022.
The indicator measures emissions generated across production chains of products consumed within the EU, regardless of where the emissions occur, including emissions embedded in imported goods and services.
Cyprus and other member states
In Cyprus, the per capita footprint reached 14.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalents, above the EU average.
Cyprus was followed by Ireland at 14.0 tonnes per capita and Luxembourg at 12.7 tonnes.
The lowest per capita footprints were recorded in Portugal at 6.5 tonnes, Bulgaria at 6.8 tonnes, and Sweden and Romania at 6.9 tonnes each.
EU totals and comparison with production emissions
At EU level, the total greenhouse gas footprint of all goods and services consumed reached 4.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2023.
During the same year, emissions generated by production within the EU amounted to 3.3 billion tonnes, indicating that production emissions were lower than the overall consumption footprint.
Long-term trend
Eurostat said both consumption-based and production-based greenhouse gas emissions declined over the decade from 2013 to 2023.
What measures could reduce Cyprus’s consumption-based greenhouse gas footprint?
