Almost no change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was observed in Iceland between 2017 and 2018 (a decrease of 0.1%), according to a new report by the Environment Agency of Iceland. In a brief press release introducing the report’s findings, authors of the report state that GHG emissions in Iceland reached an all-time high in 2007. A considerable decline in emissions followed the 2008 economic crisis, but since 2011, emissions have been relatively fixed.
A negligible decrease in emissions
In a press release on April 15, the Environment Agency of Iceland referenced its National Inventory Report (NIR), which was published on the same day, and submitted per Iceland’s obligations towards the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. These commitments require that parties report annually on their GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks.
Annual GHG emissions in Iceland, from sectors that the government has committed to reducing (in accordance with the abovementioned obligations), are shown on the below graph (taken from the EAI’s website). Since 2005, which serves as the benchmark year for Iceland’s obligations to the EU, GHG emissions have declined by 6.3%. However, as the graph indicates, emissions have been relatively stable since 2012.
(Blue: Energy, Orange: Industry, Grey: Agriculture, Yellow: Waste)
The primary sources of emissions that fall under the government’s responsibility are road transport (33%), fuel consumption by fishing vessels (18%), agricultural soil (8%), refrigerant emissions or F-gases (6%) and emissions from landfills (7%). The proportion of emissions can be seen on the below picture (sources for emissions that account for less than 4% were omitted from the graph).
The National Inventory Report
Further information about Iceland’s greenhouse gas emissions can be found in the aforementioned National Inventory Report. The report, submitted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, contains information about the evolution of greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland between 1990 and 2018. The report also describes the methodology used to appraise the emissions; contains data about emissions and removals calculations from the Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector; and data about emissions from international air and maritime traffic (not a part of the government’s obligations).
