These statistics are a part of environmental accounts. Environmental accounts are established with the national accounts as a foundation and present national environmental statistics and economic statistics in a common framework. Environmental data is systematised according to the same sectoral structure and areas for final use as economic data. The main goal of this systematisation is to analyse the relationship between economic and environmental performance.

Statistics on environmental pressure from consumption shows environmental pressure in relation to the macroeconomic balancing equation that is the basis for the national accounts. The equation for Sweden’s balance is as follows:

P+M=C+G+I+E

In which P is Sweden’s GDP, M are total imports to Sweden, C is household consumption, G is general government consumption, I is gross capital formation, and E is total export to other countries from Sweden.

According to the system of national accounts, all variables are presented in monetary terms.

The statistics presented in this publication show greenhouse gas and other air emissions for each term in the equation. For each term, the environmental pressure is allocated to over 40 different product groups. For household consumption, environmental pressure is presented according to the international COICOP allocation (classification of individual consumption by purpose).

Relationship to other official emissions statistics

Starting with this publication, official statistics on greenhouse gas and other air emissions are presented from three complementary perspectives:

• From Sweden’s economy with a consumption perspective (these statistics)
• From Sweden’s economy with a production perspective
• From Sweden’s territory (territorial statistics)

Statistics Sweden is responsible for statistics with a production and consumption perspective, as a part of the system of environmental economic accounts. Statistics with a consumption perspective are unique since they present environmental pressure for all goods and services that are produced and used in the Swedish economy along their entire production chain. This is particularly interesting for Sweden since a large proportion of goods and services that are used in the Swedish economy are imported. Sweden also exports a large proportion of the domestic production.

Environmental accounts’ official statistics from a production perspective present greenhouse gas and other air emissions from the Swedish economy’s total domestic production of goods and services, allocation sector-wise. This system boundary represents the P-term in the equation above and includes Swedish economic actors’ environmental pressure irrespective of where in the world the pressure occurs.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency produce official territorial statistics, presenting those environmental pressures that occur within Sweden’s borders.

All of the statistics mentioned are included in Sweden’s official statistics and they follow uniform guidelines for when and how the statistics are published, quality assurance and documentation.

Results differ between different official statistics

The different system boundaries for the different official statistics on environmental pressures leads to differences in the absolute emissions levels. Air emissions from a production perspective include as good as all air emissions included in territorial statistics as well as emissions from international transport operated by Swedish economic actors. Emissions from a production perspective are therefore in practice greater that emissions from a territorial perspective, that exclude emissions from international transport.

Swedens imports and exports are almost exactly balanced, with exports slightly greater. At the same time, the greenhouse gas emissions intensity (emissions per unit production in monetary terms) for domestic production in Sweden is less than that for Sweden’s major trading nations. The result is that statistics with a consumption perspective show greater greenhouse gas emissions than those with a production perspective, even excluding emissions from Sweden’s export.

The different official statistics can also be used for different purposes. Statistics from environmental accounts can support policy analyses from an economic and environmental perspective, or for investment and procurement decisions.

Territorial statistics are used to follow the development of emissions in relation to climate change goals in Sweden, the EU and the UN. The statistics present which emissions sources are present in the country. Countries therefore have significant jurisdiction over laws and rules that can affect emissions and can easily perform calculations of national reduction targets.

More information about the different perspectives:

Territorial statistics (in Swedish):
Kvartals- och preliminära årsvisa växthusgasutsläpp

Environmental accounts’ air emissions accounts:
System of Environmental and Economic Accounts

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Statistics Sweden’s joint description of the statistics (in Swedish):
Tre sätt att beräkna klimatpåverkande utsläpp

Glossary of selected terms:

Household consumption

Consumption by households and private citizens. Includes non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH).

General government consumption

Consumption by state, county and municipal authorities.

Investments

Investments by general government and industry, for example procurement of machines, buildings and roads. Investments can be subdivided into gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories and the net acquisition of valuables.

Export

Foreign actors’ use of goods and services arising from Swedish production.

Final consumption/demand/use

Terms used interchangeably for the sum of general government consumption, household consumption, investment and export. “Final” refers to the fact that it is not used in the production chain, rather it is the end of the production chain.

Component

A part of final use, e.g. for household consumption or export. Each component generates emissions in Sweden and overseas due to import for final use and imports to be used domestically for the production of other goods and services.

Emissions from consumption, consumption perspective

Emissions arising from the consumption of goods and services in Sweden and overseas due to imports.

Emissions from production, production perspective 

Emissions arising from the production of goods and services in the economy.