Carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union (EU-28) 2005-2019

Germany was the biggest producer of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions throughout the European Union. In 2019, the country emitted 684 million metric tons of CO2. This was almost 300 million metric tons more than was produced by the United Kingdom. Although carbon dioxide emissions in Germany are the highest in the EU, levels have declined considerably over the past two decades.

Emissions from coal

  Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and is one of the main causes of high CO2 levels around the world. Unsurprisingly, many of the biggest polluters in the EU are coal power plants, with the majority of these in Germany. In 2018, the EU’s biggest emitter was the Bełchatów power station in Poland. Much like Germany, Poland is heavily reliant on coal.

Global emissions

  China is the world’s largest emitter of CO2, producing almost 30 percent of the total CO2 emissions worldwide in 2017. This was approximately twice the amount produced by the United States, and three times more than the whole of the EU. Combined. these three regions are responsible for more than half of the planets carbon dioxide emissions.