2015 EU ETS Emissions analysis from EC data

This report by Ember analyzes European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) data for 2015, excluding aviation. It details a slight overall decrease in emissions, driven by trends in the power and heat sectors and specific national shifts in fuel use, while noting that 10% of emissions data—primarily from Poland—was unavailable at the time of publication.

• Total EU ETS emissions decreased by 0.6% between 2014 and 2015, falling from 1813mt to 1802mt. However, the exact levels are uncertain because 10% of emissions data, mostly from Poland, had not been published.
• Emissions from the power and heat sector fell by 0.6%, moving from 1073mt to 1065mt. This decline follows an 8% drop in 2014 attributed to a record mild year and reflects a long-term trend of renewables displacing fossil fuels in the European power sector.
• National power sector emissions showed significant variance: UK coal power emissions dropped by 23%, while Netherlands power emissions rose by 11% due to new coal plants. German lignite power emissions remained responsible for 9.0% of all EU ETS emissions.
• Industrial emissions decreased marginally by 0.3%, from 740mt to 738mt. This small overall decline was largely driven by an 18% drop in UK steel emissions; without this specific decrease, total European industrial emissions would have remained the same as in 2014.
• Regional weather patterns influenced coal power emissions in 2015, with a dry region in Spain and Portugal increasing emissions, while a wet Nordic region led to lower coal generation in Denmark and Finland.

APA

Ember (2016). 2015 EU ETS Emissions analysis from EC data. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-annual-EU-ETS-review-2015.pdf

Chicago

Ember. 2015 EU ETS Emissions analysis from EC data. 2016. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-annual-EU-ETS-review-2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=2015 EU ETS Emissions analysis from EC data |date=1 April 2016 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-annual-EU-ETS-review-2015.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember20162015, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{2015 EU ETS Emissions analysis from EC data}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-annual-EU-ETS-review-2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }