These statistics form part of the Environmental Accounts. The Environmental Accounts are based on the National Accounts and present national environmental statistics and economic statistics in a common framework. Environmental data is systematised according to the same industry classification and areas for final use as economic data. The main goal of this systematisation is to analyse the relationship between economic and environmental performance.

The National Accounts measure gross domestic product in two different ways – from a supply perspective and from a demand perspective. The environmental accounts also measure the gross domestic product, but from an environmental perspective. Where the production perspective answers the question – “who is emitting?”, the consumption perspective answers the question “who benefits from the emissions?”
The method used to produce these statistics is based on environmentally extended input-output analysis, using the framework of the national accounts. This approach is based on the results of a recently completed research project, PRINCE (Policy Relevant Indicators for Consumption and Environment):

PRINCE

See also Palm et al. 2019.

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

P +M = C + G +I+ E (equation 1)

in which P is Sweden’s GDP, M is 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. In accordance with 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

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 by sector. This system boundary represents the P-term in Equation 1 above and includes Swedish economic actors’ environmental pressure irrespective of where in the world the pressure occurs.

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

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

Results differ between different official statistics

The different system boundaries that are applied in the production of statistics from the three different perspectives lead to differences in the absolute emissions levels as shown in the statistics. Air emissions from a production perspective include virtually all air emissions included in territorial statistics, as well as emissions from international transport operated by Swedish economic actors. Therefore, emissions from a production perspective are greater, in practice, than emissions from a territorial perspective, which exclude emissions from international transport.

Sweden’s imports and exports are almost exactly balanced, although exports are slightly greater. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions intensity (emissions per unit production in monetary terms) for domestic production is lower in Sweden than in Sweden’s major trading partners. This means that greenhouse gas emissions presented in statistics with a consumption perspective are larger than in statistics with a production perspective, even when emissions from Sweden’s export are excluded.

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

Territorial statistics are used to follow the development of emissions in relation to climate change goals in Sweden, the European Union and the United Nations. These statistics show which emissions sources are present in the country. Countries therefore have significant jurisdiction over laws and regulations that can affect emissions and can easily perform calculations of national reduction targets.

More information about the different perspectives

Statistics Sweden, environmental accounts’ air emissions accounts:

System of Environmental and Economic Accounts

Statistics Sweden, environmental accounts’ environmental pressures from consumption:

Producing environmental accounts with environmentally extended input output analysis - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu)

Environmental pressures from Swedish consumption – A hybrid multi-regional input-output approach - ScienceDirect

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, for example for household consumption or export. Each component generates emissions in Sweden and abroad 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 abroad due to imports. 

Emissions from production, production perspective

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