Environmental accounts – Emissions to air 2017, regional statistics
Major regional differences remain in greenhouse gas emission intensities
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2019-11-14 9.30
Greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden in relation to GDP, also called emission intensity, continue to decrease. This indicates a more efficient production of goods and services in the Swedish economy. Regional differences are significant. Gotland is the most emission-intensive county and Stockholm is the least emission-intensive county. Gotland and Norrbotten counties accounted for the largest reductions in emission intensity between 2016 and 2017.
Environmental Accounts at Statistics Sweden is now publishing 2017 regional emissions to air per industrial sector at national, regional and municipal level. The new statistics are presented alongside existing statistics on population, labour and economic productivity. This facilitates the comparison of economic and environmental performance at the regional level.
The statistics include emissions, emission intensities and environmental economic profiles and follow the framework of the national accounts. This means the emissions are linked to the economic activity responsible for the emissions. This does not necessarily imply that the emissions actually took place in a specific region, but rather that the actor responsible for the emissions is located there.
Emission intensity by county
Emission intensity decreased in all counties between 2016 and 2017, except for Stockholm where the emission intensity was unchanged. Among all counties, Gotland decreased its emission intensity the most over the same period. However, Gotland remains the most emission-intensive county. The bulk of greenhouse gas emissions from Gotland’s economy arise from the manufacture of products with large process emissions, although the largest contributions to Gotland’s economic production come from the service industry and the public sector.
Emission intensity between 2016 and 2017 also decreased significantly in Norrbotten. Norrbotten is the county with the second highest emission intensity after Gotland. Stockholm was the least emission-intensive county in 2017.
* The 2017 gross regional product is preliminary.
Environmental economic profile by county
A county’s environmental economic structure can be described at a general level using an environmental economic profile. The profile shows each county’s share of Sweden’s GDP, greenhouse gas emissions and employees.
For many counties, the share of greenhouse gas emissions is roughly the same as the share of employees and the share of gross domestic product (GDP). Västra Götaland, Norrbotten, Södermanland, and Gotland, on the other hand, have emission-intensive profiles, in which the share of greenhouse gas emissions is larger than share of employees and GDP. This is due to the emission-intensive industries and numerous shipping companies in these counties.
Västra Götaland has high levels of output of both goods and services. This leads to a high share of employees, GDP and greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, in Norrbotten, the share of employees and GDP is smaller, but the share of greenhouse gas emissions is high. This is due, in part, to the presence of manufacturing industries with high emissions and high labour productivity (and therefore lower levels of employment.
In Stockholm County, there is a high share of employees and contributions to GDP. The largest industries in Stockholm County are in the service sector, which have relatively low levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
* The 2017 gross domestic product and employees are preliminary data.
Definitions and explanations
The Environmental Accounts are compiled according to the framework of the System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA) and show national environmental statistics and economic statistics in the same framework using NACE industry classification. Environmentally-related statistics linked to the system of national accounts enable comparison of the environmental impact and economic output of different industrial sectors. Emissions arising from international bunkers, that is, international aviation and navigation arriving and refuelling at Swedish airports and harbours, are included. Emissions and removals from land use and land use change (LULUCF) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are not included.
Regional air emission accounts per NACE industry enable analyses of Swedish regions’ economic output and environmental impact. The statistics are explained in more detail in the Environmental Accounts Statistical Report 2017:2 Regional Environmental Accounts 2008–2015.
Regional statistics on greenhouse gas emissions and a number of other air pollutants are available in the Statistical Database. Excel spreadsheets are also available for download on Statistics Sweden’s website, and include data on greenhouse gas emissions and emissions intensities by value added and by employees.
The regional breakdown is at county, municipal and regional level (according to the NUTS regional disaggregation).
These statistics on air emissions are reported based on a production perspective. Emissions are reported for the industry from which emissions occur. Indirect emissions from imports and other consumption of goods and services are not included.
Regional statistics on air emissions reported by the Swedish EPA refer to territorial emissions, that is, emissions that occur within the boundaries of each region. This means that the Swedish EPA statistics should be used to monitor air pollution levels in specific areas.
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Swedish Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
Next publishing will be
Publication of statistics by Environmental Accounts on greenhouse gas and other air emissions will be published throughout 2020.
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.