EU ETS Emissions 2019

An analysis of preliminary 2019 emissions data from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), highlighting a significant decline in power sector emissions driven by the collapse of coal power and the emergence of steel plants as primary emitters in several countries.

• Total 2019 emissions under the EU ETS fell by 7.8% (137 MT) to 1612 million tonnes (MT) of CO2. When aviation is excluded, emissions fell by 8.4% to 1541MT.
• The power sector experienced a 13% (129 MT) drop in emissions in 2019, with hard coal emissions falling by 28% (81 MT) and lignite falling by 18% (60 MT). These declines were partially offset by a 3% (12 MT) increase in emissions from gas and oil generation. Since 2013, coal power emissions have decreased by 43%, with hard coal down 57% and lignite down 26%.
• Despite the decline, the power sector remained the largest source of EU ETS emissions in 2019, accounting for 52% (844 million tonnes of CO2). Lignite power plants were responsible for 17% of all EU ETS emissions while generating only 9% of electricity; hard coal accounted for 13% of emissions while generating 10% of electricity.
• Coal-fired blast furnaces in the steel sector, which represents 8% of EU ETS emissions, became the largest CO2 emitters in seven countries in 2019: the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Finland, and Slovakia. This marks the first time steel plants in Spain and the Netherlands surpassed coal power plants in emissions.
• Poland's hard coal emissions exceeded those of Germany in 2019 for the first time, with Poland's share of Europe's hard coal emissions increasing from 16% in 2013 to 33% in 2019. Coal power accounts for 62% of Poland's EU ETS emissions.
• Other sector trends in 2019 included a 2% decrease in industrial emissions, largely attributed to a 0.6% drop in industrial production (including a 5% fall in steel production), and a 7% increase in aviation emissions, with Jet2 seeing the largest increase at 11%.

APA

Rosslowe, C. (2020). EU ETS Emissions 2019. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/EU-ETS-Emissions-2019-_-Europe-_-Ember.pdf

Chicago

Rosslowe, Chris. EU ETS Emissions 2019. Ember, 2020. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/EU-ETS-Emissions-2019-_-Europe-_-Ember.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rosslowe |first1=Chris |title=EU ETS Emissions 2019 |publisher=Ember |date=7 April 2020 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/EU-ETS-Emissions-2019-_-Europe-_-Ember.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rosslowe2020ets, author = {Rosslowe, Chris}, title = {{EU ETS Emissions 2019}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/EU-ETS-Emissions-2019-_-Europe-_-Ember.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }