Exclusive: EU pumps out over 22% more CO2 per person than Brexit Britain

Facts4EU.Org ‘net zeros’ in on the polluting EU, in a special report

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

One of the worst offenders is Belgium, home to the EU Commission's 'Green Deal', which belts out 60% more CO2 per person than the UK

The EU27 countries emit far more CO2 per person than the United Kingdom – 22% more on average. Some of the larger countries such as Germany and Poland emit a great deal more than that.

A Brexit Facts4EU two-parter on the UK versus the EU & the world on CO2 emissions

Part One : The EU pollutes far more than the UK (This report)
Part Two : Greta, Net Zero and the rest of the world – How does the UK compare?

In previous reports we have looked at the EU’s own figures of total emissions. In today’s report we review a different measure – CO2 emissions per person, using the independent Oxford University’s ‘OWID’ data from the Global Carbon Project.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in tonnes per person per year, 2021

  • United Kingdom : 5.15
  • EU27 average : 6.28 (22% higher)

[Source: Oxford University’s ‘Our World in Data’ based on the Global Carbon Project. Latest figures from 2021.]

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2023 - click to enlarge

2. Who are the worst 10 offenders in the EU?

  1. Luxembourg : 13.07
  2. Czechia : 9.24
  3. Poland : 8.58
  4. Belgium : 8.24
  5. Germany : 8.09
  6. Netherlands : 8.06
  7. Estonia : 7.86
  8. Ireland : 7.53
  9. Austria : 7.24
  10. Finland : 6.79

UK : 5.15

[Source: Oxford University’s ‘Our World in Data’ based on the Global Carbon Project. Latest figures from 2021.]

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2023 - click to enlarge

The EU's problems look set to get worse

Not only is the EU emitting more CO2 per capita than the UK, but the UK has been reducing its emissions at a faster rate.

With countries like Germany – already a big polluter – firing up previously mothballed coal-fired power stations, the gap with the UK only looks likely to widen. (See our 2022 report on this here.) In the latest figures we have reported above, Germany is emitting 57% more CO2 per person than the United Kingdom.

The rest of Europe

The rest of Europe, (excluding the UK and the EU27 that we have reported on above), also affects the air we breathe. We therefore looked at the average per capita CO2 emissions in the rest of the continent.

  • The UK : 5.15 tonnes per person
  • Europe excl UK & EU : 9.27 tonnes per person (80% higher)

In the second and final part in this series we raise our eyes to the rest of the world and analyse the performance of some of the largest countries in the world, and compare them to the United Kingdom.

Observations

Regardless of anyone’s views about the whole area of ‘climate change’, government policies are already affecting our lives.

Indeed they are set to change our lives still more radically, as gas boilers to heat our homes and petrol and diesel cars will soon be severely restricted. The massive subsidies provided to the ‘renewables’ sector from taxpayers’ money have already substantially increased the cost of energy.

According to our analysis of official data, Rishi Sunak can stop worrying about his highly expensive ‘net zero’ project and instead sit back and wait for the EU to catch up. At current rates this will take many years.

Rishi Sunak's government now appears to be openly discussing the whole question of the speed of the race to 'New Zero'. This seems partly to have been driven by the by-election win for the Conservatives in Boris Johnson's old seat of Uxbridge. It is thought that local opposition to London Mayor Sadiq Khan's 'Ultra Low Emissions Zones (ULEZ)' may have caused many voters to boycott the Labour Party.

Is the Sunak government becoming 'frit'?

When pollsters ask people "Is climate change a problem?" the majority say yes. Now, however, the realisation is sinking in of just how much this is going to cost ordinary people, on top of the massive energy costs they are paying as a result of the switch to renewables.

We believe there is also another issue at play here, and it's about politics. The government's Net Zero targets - more extreme than those of the EU - are looking less and less likely to be met. Modifying and setting back the target dates now will look more like a policy shift based on making things more affordable at a time of worries about the cost of living. In reality it will of course avoid charges that the government is not on track to meet its promises.

The EU compared to the United Kingdom

Under these circumstances it seems appropriate to look at how the EU is doing compared to Brexit Britain when it comes to CO2 emissions. The EU does not come out well, as can be seen above.

Brexit Britain - For a greener, cleaner quality of life...

COMING IN PART TWO : "Great won't like this, but it's factual" - How Brexit Britain shapes up against the rest of the world.

Facts4EU.Org needs you today

We are a 'not for profit' team (we make a loss) and any donation goes towards the actual work, not plush London offices, lunch or taxi expenses, or other luxuries of some organisations.

We badly need more of our thousands of readers to donate. Could this be you, today? Maybe you've been thinking about it, but just haven't got around to doing it? If so, let us reassure you. It's quick and easy and we use two highly secure payment providers. And we do NOT ask you for further donations if you donate once - we just hope that you keep supporting us. Your donation stays anonymous unless you tell us otherwise.

Please don't assume that other people will keep us going - we don't receive enough to survive and we need your help today. Could you help us?

Most of our readers are well-informed and appreciate our fact-based articles, presented in a way you won't see anywhere else. If you value reports like the one above, please help our work with a donation. We have far more to do in researching, publishing, campaigning and lobbying Parliament than we have in terms of the financial resources to fulfil these tasks. We badly need funding to continue - we rely 100% on public donations from readers like you.

If you believe in a fully-free, independent, and sovereign United Kingdom, please make a donation now. It’s quick, secure, and confidential, and you can use one of the links below or you can use our Donations page here. You will receive a personal, friendly ‘thank you’ from a member of our team within 24 hours. Thank you for reading this.

[ Sources: Oxford University’s ‘Our World in Data’ based on the Global Carbon Project. All figures from 2021. ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 15 Aug 2023

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget to actually post your message after you have previewed it!

Share this article on

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

Donate

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

Subscribe

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly