Home > Statistics > Emissions into air by industry > 2018 > Greenhouse gas emissions in Finland grew in 2018 – emissions of pollutants continued declining

Published: 1 October 2020

Greenhouse gas emissions in Finland grew in 2018 – emissions of pollutants continued declining

Greenhouse gas emissions produced by Finnish residents rose in 2018. At the same time, emissions of air pollutants decreased. Greenhouse gas emissions in Finland and abroad amounted to 60 million tonnes, which was almost two per cent more than in the previous year. The most significant contributor to the growth was the eight per cent increase in emissions from energy production compared with 2017. Carbon dioxide emissions from biomass, which are not counted as greenhouse gas emissions, grew by three per cent and amounted to 42 million tonnes. Of the emissions of air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide emissions decreased most, by seven per cent, and sulphur dioxide emissions, by six per cent.

Greenhouse gas emissions by industry in 2017 and 2018, million tonnes CO2 equivalent

Emissions from manufacturing and trade remained almost on level with the previous year. The growth in greenhouse gas emissions was mostly due to increased emissions from energy supply. Greenhouse gas emissions from energy supply increased by eight per cent from 2017 as production of condensate electricity increased. Energy supply’s annual emission volumes vary considerably especially on account of electricity imports and production of fossil condensate energy, whose volumes are, in turn, dependent on the availability of hydro power on the Nordic electricity market.

Greenhouse gas emissions from construction also grew by nearly nine per cent from the previous year. By contrast, emissions from both heating and transport among households decreased. Emissions from heating of buildings fell by seven per cent because the weather was warmer than in the previous year and the need for energy was thus lower. By contrast, emissions from households' transport decreased by four per cent as a result of reduced consumption of petrol and increased share of alternative motive power.

In transportation and storage, emissions grew by one per cent from 2017. Greenhouse gas emissions from land transport increased by five per cent from the previous year as the use of diesel increased and the biofuel shares of transport fuels fell.

Emissions of pollutants in 2008 to 2018, thousand tonnes

At the same time, emissions into air not included in greenhouse gases decreased compared to 2017. Nitrogen oxide emissions, which were seven per cent down on the previous year's level, and sulphur dioxide emissions, which went down by six per cent from the year before, decreased most. This development was mostly affected by a seven per cent drop in sulphur dioxide emissions in energy supply and a decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions in land and water transport. Carbon dioxide emissions from biomass generated by households' transport fell by five per cent as a result of decreases in the biofuel share of liquid fuels.

Emissions of carbon monoxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) also decreased by three per cent from the previous year. Carbon monoxide emissions are mostly generated from households' burning of wood and transport. Large amounts of NMVOC emissions are generated in agriculture and households’ burning of wood. Fine particulate matter emissions have decreased by one per cent from the previous year. Particulate matter emissions have decreased particularly in energy supply and transport.

Emissions into air by industry groups 2018, tonnes

	Greenhouse gases (CO2-foss, CH4, N2O, HFC, PFC, SF6) CO2-eq.	Carbon dioxide emissions from biomass (CO2-bio)	Particles, < 2,5 m (PM 2,5)	Carbon monoxide (CO)	Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	8 125 541	807 828	999	14 169	6 529
Mining and quarrying	478 298	464	1 301	2 001	1 779
Forest industry	2 927 592	20 667 695	1 514	25 599	18 986
Oil refining and manufacture of chemicals	3 794 936	172 223	345	1 005	3 329
Manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products	3 539 850	6 078	403	1 627	3 103
Other industries	1 683 362	148 794	503	5 085	2 798
Energy management	16 904 557	12 289 835	373	15 283	26 834
Water supply and waste management	2 370 733	316 374	22	255	973
Construction	1 458 205	70 168	462	6 463	6 838
Trade	500 504	66 107	49	197	293
Land transport	4 195 317	503 888	943	3 414	16 366
Water transport	2 403 230	5 730	429	4 545	35 583
Air transport	3 637 222	23 369	185	5 412	13 670
Other service activities and administration	2 093 291	401 622	574	25 237	6 324
Households	6 183 802	6 184 341	10 181	247 696	14 617
TOTAL	60 296 440	41 664 516	18 283	357 988	158 022

The statistics on emissions into air by industry are calculated according to the EU Regulation on environmental accounts. The industrial classification and division used in the statistics differ from the sector division used in the reporting of the greenhouse gas emissions to the UNFCCC. The statistics do not take into consideration the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by forest or other vegetation either.

Differing from the greenhouse gas inventory and greenhouse gas reporting, the statistics on emissions into air by industry also contain Finnish residents' emissions from land, water and air transport abroad. In turn, emissions by foreign citizens from transport on Finnish territory are subtracted from the emissions into air by industry. Due to definitional differences, the total volume of greenhouse gas emissions by industry is higher than in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory reported to the UNFCCC.

Source: Emissions into air by industry 2018, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Juuso Peltola 029 551 2330, Kai Skoglund 029 551 2675, ymparistotilinpito@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Updated 1.10.2020