Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 11 regions and rose in eight regions in 2021

Regional emissions

Based on a comparison between 2011 and 2021, total emissions excluding the land use sector (LULUCF) have decreased in all regions. Emissions have decreased especially in the energy sector, as fossil fuels have been replaced with renewable energy sources. Between 2011 and 2021, total emissions have decreased in Uusimaa by 5.0 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, in Satakunta by 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and in Southwest Finland by 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. In percentages, the biggest decreases in total emissions were 60 per cent in Satakunta, 47 per cent in Ostrobothnia and 45 per cent in Päijät-Häme.

Between 2020 and 2021, greenhouse gas emissions fell in 11 regions and rose in eight regions, the average reduction in emissions in different regions being around one per cent.

The emission calculations by region and municipality in accordance with the national Greenhouse Gas Inventory have been made from the regional perspective in which emissions have been allocated to the municipalities where they were generated. Data by municipality are published only on emissions outside the emissions trading sector. The assumptions and methods of the calculations are described in a separate methodological description for emission calculations by region a separate methodological description for emission calculations by region (pdf, in Finnish).

Emissions by region and by sector

Emissions from the energy sector and industrial processes and product use decreased in all regions when comparing emissions in 2021 to 2011. The average reduction in emissions by region was 31 per cent. In many regions, emissions have been reduced by decommissioning coal-fired power plants and reducing the use of the remaining ones, as well as replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Emissions from transport have fallen in all regions, especially as the biofuel share of transport fuels has risen. 

Emissions from the energy sector and industrial processes and product use in the regions developed in different directions between 2020 and 2021. The rise in the use of peat and hard coal in 2021 is visible as increased emissions in certain regions compared to the previous year. In 2021, emissions from transport were lower than in the previous year in nearly all regions. 

In the agriculture sector, total emissions in 2021 have remained almost the same compared to the previous year, 2020 and compared to 2011. The development of emissions in the agricultural sector is spread into different directions in the regions.

In the waste sector, emissions have decreased in nearly all regions. The average reduction in emissions by region was 36 per cent between 2011 and 2021. The decrease in emissions has been especially caused by reductions in landfill emissions.