Back to Top

 Skip navigation

Environment

EU: Net greenhouse gas emissions, 2011 and Kyoto 2008-2012 target

3.1 EU: Net greenhouse gas emissions, 2011 and Kyoto 2008-2012 target1
    
  1990=100 
Country20112008-2012 Kyoto target2011 level as % of Kyoto target
Lithuania449248.2
Latvia459248.6
Romania509254.8
Estonia529256.3
Bulgaria609265.7
Slovakia639268.7
Hungary679471.5
Czech Republic689274.4
Germany747994.3
United Kingdom758885.5
EU 83::
EU 15879294.6
Denmark8379105.6
Belgium859392.0
Sweden8610482.7
Poland889493.1
France8910088.9
Netherlands9594100.7
Italy9594101.9
Finland9710096.6
Luxembourg10072139.2
Ireland10611393.6
Slovenia10692115.1
Austria10887123.6
Greece11012587.7
Portugal11612791.7
Spain126115109.9
Cyprus147::
Malta151::
    
Croatia899593.8
Switzerland10292111.1
Norway108101107.1
Iceland130110117.9
Source: Eurostat, Environmental Protection Agency
    
1 2010 data used for Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
Graph
Ireland: Total net greenhouse gas emissions, 2002-2011
Excel
Print
  • Under the Kyoto protocol, EU countries agreed to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 8% on 1990 levels for the period 2008-2012. Ireland's Kyoto burden-sharing target is to ensure that average levels in the 2008-2012 period are no more than 13% above the 1990 emissions.
  • Ireland exceeded the 2008-2012 Kyoto target of 113 for greenhouse gas emissions in 2002 when it was 125% of the 1990 level, (see graph).
  • Between 2002 and 2008 the level of emissions from Ireland was in the range of 125% to 128% of the 1990 level. However, Irish emissions fell sharply in 2009 to 114% of the 1990 level and decreased steeply again in 2011 to 106%, (see graph).
  • In 2011 Ireland's level of emissions, at 106%, was considerably higher than the EU average of 83 and the EU 15 average of 87 and was the joint seventh highest in the EU.

EU: Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP

3.2 Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP
      
    kgoe per €1,000 GDP
Country20072008200920102011
Ireland8989899283
Denmark9594959891
United Kingdom112111111112104
Italy124123122124121
Austria130128127134126
Germany143142143142129
Spain150144137137136
Luxembourg137138138142138
France150151149151143
EU153152150152144
Netherlands156150151158147
Sweden156156151159149
Portugal164157160154153
Greece150151151149155
Cyprus184186185177174
Belgium178184185191182
Malta184176159172201
Finland219209216228212
Slovenia226231230231230
Hungary292288292296283
Lithuania375366392311302
Poland351340322331318
Latvia302299343364323
Slovakia389378363370350
Czech Republic391371364375356
Romania443412387393392
Estonia459464487547503
Bulgaria770718665675712
      
Norway109118114131112
Croatia235224231233232
Turkey231227238233232
Macedonia562534501501530
Switzerland81838580:
  Source: Eurostat
Graph
EU: Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP, 2011
Excel
Print
  • Ireland's energy intensity ratio deteriorated slightly from 89 in 2007 to 92 in 2010 before improving to 83 in 2011. This ratio is calculated by dividing total usage of coal, electricity, oil, natural gas and renewable energy by GDP and is expressed in terms of kilogramme of oil equivalent (kgoe) per €1,000 GDP.
  • Ireland had the lowest energy intensity ratio in the EU in 2011, while Bulgaria had the highest at 712. The EU average was 144.
  • The ten countries with the highest ratios in 2011 were all new EU member states.

Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas, 2002-2012

3.3 Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas, 2002-2012
       
      µg per m3
YearDublinCorkOther Towns1
 Average PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceeded
2002231423153211
200326282628277
20042014229201
2005198193236
200620101642619
2007187151254
2008177161185
2009171186194
20101972272734
201114721192224
2012130177198
    Source: Environmental Protection Agency
       
1 See Appendix 1 for details of other towns.
Graph
Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas, 2002-2012
Excel
Print
  • The average readings for particulate matter (PM10) in Dublin rose from 23 µg/m3 in 2002 to 26 in 2003, fell to 20 in 2004 and then remained at around this level between 2005 and 2010.
  • However in 2011 the average readings for particulate matter in Dublin dropped to 14 µg/m3 and fell slightly again to 13 in 2012.
  • The levels for Cork were in the range of 22 to 26 µg/m3 between 2002 and 2004 before dropping to less than 20 between 2005 and 2009. Levels then rose to 22 in 2010, before falling slightly to stand at 17 in 2012.
  • The average readings for particulate matter in towns other than Dublin or Cork have been more variable, ranging from a high of 32 µg/m3 in 2002 to low of 18 in 2008.
  • European legislation contains limit values which permit particulate matter to exceed 50µg/m3 on not more than 35 days per annum from 2005. This limit was regularly broken in Dublin in the 1990s but has not been broken since then anywhere in Ireland, although the limit was close to being broken in 2010 for towns other than Dublin or Cork.

Ireland: Acid rain precursor emissions, 2000-2008

3.4 Ireland: Acid rain precursor emissions, 2000-2008 
     
 SO2 equivalent per 1,000 tonnes of gas emitted
YearSulphur dioxide (SO2)Nitrogen oxides (NOx)Ammonia (NH3)Total
2000139.796.3228.6464.6
2001134.497.6217.3449.3
2002101.590.9212.8405.2
200378.787.5210.4376.6
200471.387.1209.5367.9
200570.787.9207.6366.2
200660.384.6206.7351.5
200754.483.8198.6336.7
200844.877.8195.5318.1
 Source: Environmental Protection Agency, CSO
Graph
Ireland: Acid rain precursor emissions, 2000-2008
Excel
Print
  • The level of acid rain precursor emissions in Ireland has been decreasing every year since 2000, from 464.6 SO2 equivalent per 1,000 tonnes of gas emitted to 318.1 in 2008. The decrease is mainly due to much lower levels of sulphur dioxide emissions.
  • The Gothenburg Protocol 2010 target emissions level is 306. Ireland's emissions were 52% above this target in 2000, but by 2008 the levels had reduced to just 4% above the target, (see graph).

Ireland: Total municipal waste generated, recovered and landfilled 2003-2011

3.5 Ireland: Total municipal waste generated, recovered and landfilled 2003-2011
      
   000 tonnes% of waste generated
YearWaste generatedWaste recoveredWaste landfilledWaste recoveredWaste landfilled
20033,001.0726.81,832.624.261.1
20043,034.6919.01,818.530.359.9
20053,050.1964.41,824.131.659.8
20063,384.61,119.71,980.633.158.5
20073,397.71,159.82,014.834.159.3
20083,224.31,165.11,938.736.160.1
20092,952.91,101.31,723.737.358.4
20102,846.11,084.91,495.638.152.5
20112,823.21,202.61,344.042.647.6
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, National Waste Report series
Graph
Ireland: Total municipal waste generated, recovered and landfilled 2003-2011
Excel
Print
  • The quantity of municipal waste generated in Ireland increased each year between 2003 and 2007 resulting in an increase of 13.2% over this period. However between 2007 and 2011 the amount of waste generated decreased sharply by 16.9%.
  • Waste recovered as a percentage of waste generated rose from 24.2% in 2003 to 42.6% in 2011. Waste landfilled as a percentage of waste generated was close to 60% between 2003 and 2009 before falling to 52.5% in 2010 and 47.6% in 2011.

EU: Municipal waste generated and treated, 2011

3.6 EU: Municipal waste generated and treated, 20111
      
 kg per person % of municipal waste
CountryGeneratedTreatedRecycledIncineratedLandfilled
Germany597362.536.90.5
Netherlands596451.232.40.7
Sweden460447.851.50.9
Belgium464655.841.61.3
Austria5521859.233.23.3
Denmark7192542.753.83.5
Luxembourg68710646.338.415.4
France52714637.434.927.7
EU50018038.622.236.0
Finland50520334.925.040.2
Italy53524831.416.446.4
Ireland61829442.64.347.6
United Kingdom51825338.811.648.8
Slovenia41120434.31.549.6
Poland31518122.91.057.5
Portugal48728619.921.158.7
Estonia29817826.20.059.7
Spain49831428.78.263.1
Czech Republic32020616.918.164.4
Hungary38225722.010.767.3
Latvia3502589.70.073.7
Slovakia3272459.810.474.9
Lithuania44234120.10.577.1
Romania3652891.10.079.2
Cyprus65852819.80.080.2
Greece49640817.70.082.3
Malta5834916.31.084.2
Bulgaria3753495.60.093.1
      
Switzerland689050.149.90.0
Norway4831139.855.72.3
Iceland57138614.910.567.6
Turkey3953310.80.083.8
Croatia3733408.30.091.2
Macedonia357357::100.0
    Source: Eurostat
      
1 Data between countries are in general not comparable as the definition of municipal waste generation differs from country to country.
  • 42.6% of municipal waste was recycled in Ireland in 2011, above the EU average of 38.6%. The highest recycling rate was in Germany at 62.5% while the lowest was in Romania at just 1.1%.
  • Close to half (47.6%) of municipal waste was landfilled in Ireland in 2011, above the EU average of 36%. Germany, Netherlands and Sweden have extremely low landfill levels (less than 1%) because they recycle and incinerate much of their waste while Switzerland has no landfilled waste at all.
  • Ireland had the fourth highest amount of municipal waste generated per person in 2011, at 618kg per person, behind Denmark, Luxembourg and Cyprus.

EU: Passenger cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over, 2007-2011

3.7 EU: Passenger cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over, 2007-2011
      
  cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over
Country20072008200920102011
Luxembourg823828817814:
Italy702704704708712
Cyprus643681698683:
Malta662678669689699
Finland587613626645664
Austria608609615623629
Slovenia586604606604606
France606596599::
Lithuania558586596598659
Germany657581583590597
Belgium575579581586592
Spain572573563566568
Sweden563560558556561
Netherlands552560562566572
United Kingdom568552:::
Ireland548550541533542
Greece501523532539:
Poland454499511532555
Czech Republic486497494499511
Estonia459483479486506
Latvia461475463327343
Denmark467470:::
Hungary353358353350348
Bulgaria313358380398421
Slovakia317340347363383
Romania195221233237239
      
Switzerland625622615617623
Norway570573551584592
Croatia397412408404405
Turkey:131135140148
    Source: Eurostat
  • In 2008 the number of cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over varied from 828 in Luxembourg to 221 in Romania. 
  • The number of private cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over in Ireland rose from 548 in 2007 to 550 in 2008 before decreasing to 533 in 2010 followed by a small rise to 542 in 2011.

EU: Share of road transport in total inland freight transport, 2007-2011

3.8 EU: Share of road transport in total inland freight transport, 2007-2011
      
    % of inland freight
Country20072008200920102011
Latvia41.938.730.238.136.2
Estonia43.255.347.345.848.5
Romania71.370.260.049.250.3
Austria60.958.659.556.356.0
Netherlands59.459.963.862.158.2
Lithuania58.558.059.959.158.8
Sweden63.664.963.260.761.8
Germany65.765.567.064.965.8
Belgium69.768.572.967.966.3
Bulgaria70.166.967.468.173.6
Finland73.974.175.775.073.9
EU76.376.377.576.475.5
Hungary74.574.778.875.175.9
Slovakia71.873.877.974.876.6
Czech Republic74.776.777.879.079.2
Poland73.575.980.580.679.4
France80.980.781.082.281.1
Slovenia79.282.284.082.381.4
Denmark92.291.390.887.086.0
United Kingdom88.988.387.888.787.3
Italy87.688.390.490.487.8
Luxembourg91.293.394.693.593.7
Portugal94.793.994.393.994.1
Spain95.895.796.495.895.5
Greece97.197.398.198.097.2
Ireland99.399.499.399.299.0
Cyprus100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Malta100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
      
Switzerland56.053.155.554.454.1
Croatia74.072.773.771.274.0
Norway84.785.084.085.084.3
Iceland100.0100.0100.0::
Macedonia88.484.3:::
Turkey94.9::::
    Source: Eurostat
Graph
EU: Share of road transport in total inland freight transport, 2011
Excel
Print
  • Road transport accounted for 99% of total inland freight transport in Ireland in 2011. This was the highest proportion in the EU among countries with a rail network, (neither Cyprus nor Malta have railways).
  • Only 36.2% of inland freight was transported by road in Latvia while the EU average was 75.5%.

Why you can Trust the CSO

Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.