Climate · emissions beyond borders
Bulgaria cut its emissions at home by 16 to 18 percent. Abroad, they rose by 40 to 60 percent.
Emissions from Bulgarian consumption are falling, as long as they happen in Bulgaria. The emissions in factories, power plants and fields elsewhere, for goods, food and buildings, are rising. Bulgaria's Climate Change Mitigation Act doesn't count them.
- The footprint of Bulgaria is 4–16 percent lower than official emissions according to the national inventory (via Eurostat): more emissions are released here for exports than arrive through imports.
- 42–48 percent of the footprint arises abroad (2022), against 30–32 percent in 2010.
- Official emissions fell by 2 percent between 2010 and 2022, while the footprint rose by 1–7 percent.
- Per person, Bulgaria causes 6.8 tonnes, less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes (rank 26 of 27, Eurostat 2023). Between 2010 and 2019 the footprint fell by 12 percent, similar to most EU countries; between 2019 and 2023 it stayed level, while it fell in most EU countries.
- Outside Bulgaria, most emissions for Bulgarian consumption are released in Russia, China and Türkiye.
- Bulgaria exports more emissions than it imports: 7–10 megatonnes net in 2022. Since 2010, what it earns from foreign demand grew by 68 percent (real); the emissions for it rose by 18 percent.
- Satellites see more methane over Bulgaria than the country reports: 1.3× the reported amount (2023).
In short
Emissions caused by Bulgarian consumption and investment, by location
The official figure falls faster than the footprint
The figure in the news is emissions on Bulgarian territory, according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). It fell by 2 percent between 2010 and 2022. The footprint rose by 1–7 percent over the same years. The official figure counts emissions for what is exported, but not for what is imported.
Bulgaria compared with the other EU countries
Per person, Bulgaria causes 6.8 tonnes of greenhouse gas (Eurostat, 2023), less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes, rank 26 of 27.
Checked from space
Satellites measure how much methane hangs in the air. From that, scientists can work back to how much a country emits. That puts an independent measurement next to the official figures.
Where the emissions occur
For Bulgarian consumption, most emissions abroad occur in Russia, followed by China, Türkiye and Ukraine. Pick a year or play the timeline. Click a country to see how it changed since 2010.
Who Bulgaria emits for
In 2022, 31–32 megatonnes of greenhouse gases were released in Bulgaria for consumption and investment in other countries. Meanwhile, 21–25 megatonnes were released elsewhere for Bulgarian consumption. That makes Bulgaria a net exporter of emissions: 7–10 megatonnes more are released here for others than the other way round.
How we calculate
A footprint follows every euro that households, government and companies spend on final products back through the supply chain, to the country where the emissions occur. So-called input-output models do this, built on trade statistics and emission inventories from dozens of countries.