Climate · emissions beyond borders
Croatia cut its emissions at home by 16 to 20 percent. Abroad, they rose by 29 to 40 percent.
Emissions from Croatian consumption are falling, as long as they happen in Croatia. The emissions in factories, power plants and fields elsewhere, for goods, food and buildings, are rising. Croatia's Climate Change Act doesn't count them.
- The footprint of Croatia is 32–47 percent higher than official emissions according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). Exactly how much depends on the model.
- 47–48 percent of the footprint arises abroad (2022), against 33–38 percent in 2010.
- Official emissions fell by 13 percent between 2010 and 2022, while the footprint stayed roughly level.
- Per person, Croatia causes 9.6 tonnes, more than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes (rank 7 of 27, Eurostat 2023). Between 2010 and 2019 the footprint fell by 11 percent, similar to most EU countries; between 2019 and 2023 it rose by 9 percent, while it fell in most EU countries.
- Outside Croatia, most emissions for Croatian consumption are released in China, Russia and Hungary.
- Croatia imports more emissions than it exports: 7–14 megatonnes net in 2022. Since 2010, what it earns from foreign demand grew by 88 percent (real); the emissions for it rose by 6 percent.
In short
Emissions caused by Croatian consumption and investment, by location
The official figure falls faster than the footprint
The figure in the news is emissions on Croatian territory, according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). It fell by 13 percent between 2010 and 2022. The footprint stayed roughly level over the same years. The official figure counts emissions for what is exported, but not for what is imported.
Croatia compared with the other EU countries
Per person, Croatia causes 9.6 tonnes of greenhouse gas (Eurostat, 2023), more than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes, rank 7 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 Croatian consumption, most emissions abroad occur in China, followed by Russia, Hungary and Germany. Pick a year or play the timeline. Click a country to see how it changed since 2010.
Who Croatia emits for
In 2022, 5–8 megatonnes of greenhouse gases were released in Croatia for consumption and investment in other countries. Meanwhile, 15–19 megatonnes were released elsewhere for Croatian consumption. That makes Croatia a net importer of emissions: 7–14 megatonnes more are released elsewhere for Croatia 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.