Climate · emissions beyond borders
Hungary cut its emissions at home by 14 to 19 percent. Abroad, they rose by 39 to 42 percent.
Emissions from Hungarian consumption are falling, as long as they happen in Hungary. The emissions in factories, power plants and fields elsewhere, for goods, food and buildings, are rising. Hungary's Climate Protection Act doesn't count them.
- The footprint of Hungary is 26–27 percent higher than official emissions according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). Exactly how much depends on the model.
- 51–53 percent of the footprint arises abroad (2022), against 38–40 percent in 2010.
- Official emissions fell by 11 percent between 2010 and 2022, while the footprint rose by 4–7 percent.
- Per person, Hungary causes 7.1 tonnes, less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes (rank 23 of 27, Eurostat 2023). Between 2010 and 2019 the footprint fell by 5 percent, slower than in most EU countries; between 2019 and 2023 it fell by 8 percent, similar to most EU countries.
- Outside Hungary, most emissions for Hungarian consumption are released in Russia, China and Germany.
- Hungary imports more emissions than it exports: 10–15 megatonnes net in 2022. Since 2010, what it earns from foreign demand grew by 44 percent (real); the emissions for it rose by 2 percent.
- Satellites see more methane over Hungary than the country reports: 2.3× the reported amount (2023).
In short
Emissions caused by Hungarian consumption and investment, by location
The official figure falls faster than the footprint
The figure in the news is emissions on Hungarian territory, according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). It fell by 11 percent between 2010 and 2022. The footprint rose by 4–7 percent over the same years. The official figure counts emissions for what is exported, but not for what is imported.
Hungary compared with the other EU countries
Per person, Hungary causes 7.1 tonnes of greenhouse gas (Eurostat, 2023), less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes, rank 23 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 Hungarian consumption, most emissions abroad occur in Russia, followed by China, Germany and Poland. Pick a year or play the timeline. Click a country to see how it changed since 2010.
Who Hungary emits for
In 2022, 28 megatonnes of greenhouse gases were released in Hungary for consumption and investment in other countries. Meanwhile, 38–43 megatonnes were released elsewhere for Hungarian consumption. That makes Hungary a net importer of emissions: 10–15 megatonnes more are released elsewhere for Hungary 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.