This indicator shows trends in total man-made emissions of the ‘Kyoto basket' of greenhouse gases. It presents annual total emissions in relation to 1990 emissions.
The ‘Kyoto basket' of greenhouse gases includes: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and the so-called F-gases (hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)). These gases are aggregated into a single unit using gas-specific global warming potential (GWP) factors. The aggregated greenhouse gas emissions are expressed in units of CO2 equivalents. The indicator does not include emissions and removals related to land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF); nor does it include emissions from international maritime transport. It does however include emissions from international aviation. CO2 emissions from biomass with energy recovery are reported as a Memorandum item according to UNFCCC Guidelines and not included in national greenhouse gas totals.
The EU as a whole is committed to achieving at least a 20% reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990. This objective implies:

1. a 21 % reduction in emissions from sectors covered by the EU ETS (emission trading scheme) compared to 2005 by 2020
2. a reduction of 10 % in emissions for sectors outside the EU ETS. To achieve this 10% overall target each Member State has agreed country-specific greenhouse gas emission limits for 2020 compared to 2005 (Council Decision 2009/406/EC).

Data Source: European Environment Agency (EEA - http://www.eea.europa.eu/it )