Transport is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Malta, according to data published in the 2016 edition of the Eurostat Energy, Transport and Environment indicators statistical book.
A breakdown of greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 by economic sector shows that transport was the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Malta, followed by electricity and air-conditioning supply and individual households.
According to the data, Malta saw the highest increase – 48.7 per cent – in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU in 2014, compared to 1990 levels.
On average, EU countries reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 22.9 per cent over the same period.
This overall reduction puts the EU on track to surpass its 2020 target, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 and by 40 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.
Across all 28 EU member states in 2014, greenhouse gas emissions were the highest in Germany, at 21.9 per cent of the EU average, followed by the United Kingdom and France.
The biggest decreases compared to 1990 were reported for Lithuania, at 59.3 per cent, Romania, at 56.3 per cent, and Latvia at 55.7 per cent.
After Malta, the biggest increases compared to 1990 levels were in Cyprus, at 36.4 per cent, and Spain, at 16.9 per cent.
The Eurostat data also confirmed Malta’s car mania, with the highest number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU.
Malta has 625 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Italy, with 610, Finland, with 582, Cyprus, at 558, and Austria, at 552. In all five of these countries, there was one car for every two inhabitants.
In the EU28, most EU member states have reported an increase in the amount of cars.
The highest increases were recorded in Poland, at 62.8 per cent, and Slovakia, at 48.1 per cent. The only exceptions were Lithuania, with a dip of 5.5 per cent, and Germany, with a decrease of 1.6 per cent.
The lowest motorisation rates in 2014 were reported by Romania, with 235 for every 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Hungary, at 307, and Latvia, at 314.
The data shows there was an improvement in the share of renewable energy sources in transport.
Malta’s share has increased from zero in 2010 to 4.7 per cent in 2014, which is below the EU average of 5.9 per cent.