Climate · emissions beyond borders
Spain cut its emissions at home by 22 to 26 percent. Abroad, it did not.
Emissions from Spanish consumption are falling, as long as they happen in Spain. The emissions in factories, power plants and fields elsewhere, for goods, food and buildings, are not falling. Spain's Climate Change and Energy Transition Act doesn't count them.
- The footprint of Spain is 32–42 percent higher than official emissions according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). Exactly how much depends on the model.
- 50 percent of the footprint arises abroad (2022), against 42–43 percent in 2010.
- Official emissions fell by 18 percent between 2010 and 2022; the footprint only by 12–14 percent.
- Per person, Spain causes 7.9 tonnes, less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes (rank 19 of 27, Eurostat 2023). Between 2010 and 2019 the footprint fell by 17 percent, faster than in most EU countries; between 2019 and 2023 it fell by 1 percent, slower than in most EU countries.
- Outside Spain, most emissions for Spanish consumption are released in China, Russia and United States.
- Spain imports more emissions than it exports: 81–106 megatonnes net in 2022. Since 2010, what it earns from foreign demand grew by 61 percent (real); the emissions for it rose by 11 percent.
- Satellites see more methane over Spain than the country reports: 1.9× the reported amount (2023). The largest gap is in livestock.
In short
Emissions caused by Spanish consumption and investment, by location
The official figure falls faster than the footprint
The figure in the news is emissions on Spanish territory, according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). It fell by 18 percent between 2010 and 2022. The footprint fell by 12–14 percent over the same years. The official figure counts emissions for what is exported, but not for what is imported.
Spain compared with the other EU countries
Per person, Spain causes 7.9 tonnes of greenhouse gas (Eurostat, 2023), less than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes, rank 19 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 Spanish consumption, most emissions abroad occur in China, followed by Russia, United States and Brazil. Pick a year or play the timeline. Click a country to see how it changed since 2010.
Who Spain emits for
In 2022, 97–111 megatonnes of greenhouse gases were released in Spain for consumption and investment in other countries. Meanwhile, 192–202 megatonnes were released elsewhere for Spanish consumption. That makes Spain a net importer of emissions: 81–106 megatonnes more are released elsewhere for Spain 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.