Mild weather leads to lower CO2 emissions
CO2 emissions by the Dutch economy were 0.9 percent lower in the second quarter of 2014 than in the same quarter of 2013. Adjusted for the differences in the weather, CO2 emissions increased by 3.7 percent however. The flash estimate by Statistics Netherlands shows that the Dutch economy grew by 0.9 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014. The CO2 emissions are calculated according to the definitions of the Environmental accounts.
Changes in CO2 emissions and economic development, second quarter of 2014
Higher CO2 emissions by energy companies due to the increased use of coal
CO2 emissions by ‘energy, water supply and waste management’ was higher than in 2013. The energy companies produced more electricity and consumed more coal. They also used less natural gas, but this did not compensate for the increased CO2 emissions due to the extra use of coal. Firing coal not only leads to relatively higher emissions, it also has a lower efficiency than natural gas.
The value added of the energy companies fell. While electricity production rose, the production of energy distributors and networks fell due to the mild weather.
Industrial growth lead to higher emissions
Emissions rose in ‘agriculture, mining and extraction, manufacturing and construction’. Manufacturing in particular increased its CO2 emissions due to rising production. However the value added of ‘agriculture, mining and extraction, manufacturing and construction’ fell. This is because the value added of mining and extraction as well as construction were significantly lower than in the same quarter of 2013. Agriculture grew, but had lower CO2 emissions due to the mild weather.
Rise in CO2 emissions of the transport sector
CO2 emissions by the transport sector rose again this quarter, mainly because of the growing production of sea transport and road transport of goods. The number of flights in aviation also rose slightly.
Households and the services sector used less fuel due to the warm weather
Far less natural gas was burned to heat indoor spaces in the Netherlands in the second quarter of 2014 than in the corresponding quarter of 2013, because it was relatively warm like in the first quarter. Therefore CO2 emissions by households and services were much lower. So the mild weather led to a reduction of CO2 emissions in the second quarter.
Background information:
CO2 emissions on quarterly basis