Emission of greenhouse gases at work above EU average

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) per person employed has been, since 2010, on a continuous decline in the European Union, but Cyprus consistently remains above the EU average.

The decline is due to a combination of decreasing GHG emissions and increasing employment numbers, according to data on the European Green Deal.

Cyprus consistently has remained above the EU average for over a decade, except in 2013

In 2020, every employed person in the EU produced 13.6 tonnes of GHG emissions, the lowest value on record and 4.4 tonnes less than in 2010, when the output per person was 18 tonnes.

GHG emissions intensity of employment measures the greenhouse gases emitted by the entire national economy per person employed.

In 2020, Cyprus emitted 15.6 tonnes per person employed.

It has been consistently over the EU average since 2008, when the emissions per person were 21.7 tonnes (18.8 tonnes in the EU).

Over the last few years, the GHG intensity of employment in Cyprus was closer to the EU average (17.6 tonnes in 2012 compared with 17.4 on average in the EU).

It was lower than the average in 2013 (16.9 tonnes in Cyprus compared with 17.0 tonnes in the EU).

The figure returned to being over the EU average in the following years.

Among other member states, Denmark (24.7 tonnes of GHG per person employed), Ireland (23.2), and Poland (20.9) emitted the highest number of GHG per employed person in 2020.

In contrast, Sweden (8.1 t GHG per person employed) and Malta (7.2) emitted the least.