To main content

Environmental accounts – Emissions to air 2021. Corrected 2023-05-11

Greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy increased by 4 percent in 2021

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-03-23 8.00

Greenhouse gas emissions from Sweden’s economy and households increased by 4 percent in 2021 to 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents compared with 2020. However, the level of greenhouse gas emissions is still lower than the pre-pandemic level. Over the same period GDP increased by 5,3 percent. Therefore, the emission intensity is decreased by 2 percent during the year 2021.

This page was corrected 2023-05-11.

– 2021 is the second year of the covid-19 pandemic, and although emissions increase by 4 percent compared to the year 2020, the large emission reductions we saw at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic persist in many industries, says Axel Ehrling, analyst at Statistics Sweden's Environmental Accounts.

In 2021 greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy amounted to 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. This is an increase of 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents compared with 2020. In comparison with carbon dioxide emissions before the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in 2019, emissions have decreased by 7 percent, corresponding to 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.

Between 2008 and 2021, greenhouse gas emissions from Sweden's total economy decreased by 25 percent. During the same period, GDP grew by 29 percent, which led to a decrease in emission intensity by 42 percent during the time series. Greenhouse gas emissions followed the economic trend between 2008 and 2010. However, in the following years, the emisssions largely decreased, while the economy kept growing, leading to a reduction in emission intensity.

Development of GDP and greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy, 2008-2021*, index 2008=100

Graph: Development of GDP and greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy, 2008-2021*, index 2008=100

*2021 GDP at constant prices 2015 is preliminary. Source: Statistics Sweden, Environmental accounts and National accounts

Greenhouse gas emissions increase in the energy sector and the transport sector

Greenhouse gas emissions increase mainly in the energy sector, the manufacturing sector, and the transport sector in 2021 compared with 2020. The energy sector increases its emissions by 10 percent, which can partly be explained by the colder winter in 2021 compared to 2020. In the transport industry, emissions are 5 percent higher in 2021 compared with 2020. The transport industry’s emissions include emissions from the aviation industry, maritime transport and road haulage. Withing the transport industry, greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation industry increase the most with a total of 19 percent between 2020 and 2021. The aviation industry is the most affected by the covid-19 pandemic. In comparison to 2019, aviation reduces its emissions by 54 percent.

Regarding the other sectors, namely, the public sector, mining, construction, households, and agriculture, forestry and fishing the difference in the emission levels between 2020 and 2021 is below 5 percent.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy, 2008-2021, by aggregated industry (NACE Rev.2), in thousand tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents

Graph: Greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy, 2008-2021, by aggregated industry (NACE Rev.2), in thousand tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents

Source: Statistics Sweden, Environmental accounts.

Emissions from biofuels increase

Emissions from the use of biofuels, such as wood, biogas, food, etc., are reported as biogenic carbon dioxide emissions according to international regulations and therefore, they are not counted as a part of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2021, carbon dioxide emissions from biogenic fuels are 51.4 million tonnes. Biogenic carbon dioxide emissions occur mainly in the energy industry and the manufacturing industry, where a lot of stationary fuel combustion takes place. These industries account for 81 percent of the total biogenic carbon dioxide emissions. In comparison, the same industries account for 41 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.

In industries where the emissions are mainly a result of use of work machines and transport means, like in mining, construction and transport industry, biogenic carbon dioxide emissions are relatively low.

Carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels in 2008 and 2021, by aggregated industry (NACE Rev. 2), in thousand tonnes

Graph: Carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels in 2008 and 2021, by aggregated industry (NACE Rev. 2), in thousand tonnes

Source: Statistics Sweden, Environmental accounts

Use the analytical tool for environmental economic data

Environmental accounts data is available via an analytical tool online that combines data from the Environmental Accounts and economic data. This tool can be used to explore emissions statistics from both production and consumption perspectives along with other environmental economic data. The tool is available on the Environmental Accounts’ data and analysis pages (www.scb.se/mi1301). Using the tool, you can generate your own indicators, compare environmental pressures from different industries and study the relationship between demand in the economy, energy use, and emissions.

Definitions and explanations

The Environmental Accounts present national environmental statistics and economic statistics in a common framework using NACE industry classification. This makes it possible to analyse the relationship between the economy and the environment. The starting point for the Environmental Accounts is the environmental impact of Swedish economic actors, regardless of where in the world their emissions occur.

These statistics on emissions to air are based on a production perspective. Emissions are reported by industry in which the emissions occur, including households’ direct emissions (i.e. combustion of fossil fuels, heating and other direct emissions). Indirect emissions from imports and other consumption of goods and services are not included.

Statistics on emissions to air published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency cover territorial emissions, i.e. emissions that occur within Sweden’s borders. Sectors are disaggregated by emissions category (process), rather than by industry. Emissions and uptake from land use and land use change are included, while emissions from international aviation and navigation are reported separately. See also, Climate Transition (naturvardsverket.se)

The difference between the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's statistics with a territorial perspective and the Environmental Accounts' statistics with a production perspective is that the latter excludes emissions caused by foreign companies within the Swedish borders, but includes emissions caused by Swedish companies abroad.

Adjusting data sources produced from a territorial perspective to a production perspective – as reported in Environmental accounts – on economic residence is called a residence adjustment.

Greenhouse gas emissions – carbon dioxide equivalents are calculated as an aggregate of CO2 (fossil), CH4, N2O, HFC, PFC, SF6. The conversion factors (Greenhouse Warming Potential, GWP) used to calculate carbon dioxide equivalents are the same as those used for reporting to UNFCCC.[1]

[1] IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp, AR5 Synthesis Report - Climate Change 2014 (ipcc.ch)

Revisions

A number of revisions have been applied since the previous publication:

– The emissions are reported this year according to the IPCC's Fifth Assessmennt Report, unlike the publication of the previous year where the emissions were reported according to the IPCC's Forth Assessmennt Report. This mainly affects the calculation of CH4 and N2O to carbon dioxide equivalents.

– Emissions from H50, shipping companies from the reference year 2018 and onward are calculated based on the Traffic Analysis’ time series of Swedish ship calls in Swedish ports between 2018 and 2021: Shipping goods (trafa.se)

– There have been changes in the emission factor and content of biomass in waste. New calculation of greenhouse gases has been applied.

More information on these updates is available in the product page Miljöräkenskaper (scb.se) under the heading Documentation.

Next publishing will be

The next item of statistical news on quarterly emissions to air will concern the fourth quarter of 2022 will be published on 2023-05-11 at 08.00. Preliminary statistics on 2022 will also be published at this time.

The next statistical news on annual emissions to air, 2008–2022 (final statistics) is scheduled for publication in early 2024.

Please feel free to use facts from this item of statistical news, but remember to cite as Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical Database

More information is available in the Statistical Database

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical agency

Statistics Sweden

Enquiries

Axel Ehrling

Telephone
+46 10 479 40 69
E-mail
axel.ehrling@scb.se

Susanna Roth

Telephone
+46 10 479 48 03
E-mail
susanna.roth@scb.se