Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels — despite a push to generate more clean energy in the bloc.
The EU's 27 economies produced 1.029 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide or equivalent in the first quarter of this year, new official figures show.
That was 7 per cent higher than the same period in early 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was first starting to unfold in Europe.
It was only fractionally lower than the last completely Covid-free first quarter, in 2019, when the EU produced 1.035 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The resurgence reflected a rise in emissions in 25 out of 27 states, compared with last year's lockdown-affected figures, with only the Netherlands and Finland bucking the trend.
Lower emissions were considered a silver lining of the pandemic in the early months of worldwide stay-at-home orders, but experts predicted correctly that it was unlikely to last.
"The documented increases were largely due to the effect of the economic rebound after the sharp decrease in activity due to the Covid-19 crisis," statistics agency Eurostat said.
The transport, mining and construction sectors had an especially large resurgence in emissions, it said, while pollution from households was similar to last year.
Greenhouse gas emissions tend to be higher in the first and last quarters of the year because colder weather leads to more demand for heating.
The EU has a target of slashing overall emissions by 55 per cent, compared to 1990 levels, by the end of this decade to meet its climate change goals.
The clean energy agenda was given a renewed push by the invasion of Ukraine, which led to reduced gas supplies from Russia and spurred the EU to seek sustainable alternatives.
However, some countries have had to turn back to coal-fired power plants, considered the dirtiest form of fossil fuel energy, to tide their economies over through a difficult winter.
EU countries last month agreed to aim for a 15 per cent cut in their gas consumption during the winter months to make their limited supplies go further.
In the longer run, plans are afoot to expand wind and solar energy, spur the growth of zero-emission cars on Europe's roads, and encourage companies to invest in sustainable activities.
However, environmentalists object to EU plans to label some nuclear and natural gas projects as sustainable for the purposes of such financing.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
More from Armen Sarkissian
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
