Emissions of carbon dioxide equivalences due to air transport in the first quarter of 2022 was approximately 86 kilotons, according to preliminary calculations of the economy-based air emission account (AEA).
This value is nearly four times higher than the emission for the first quarter of last year. The increase in emissions agrees with the recovery of the tourism and air transport industry in Iceland post the COVID-19 travel restriction period. The emissions for 2022 is still considerably lower than the highest value for first quarters since 2016 but the highest value was 541 kilotons in 2018. The value for 2022 is 16% of the 2018 value.
Household transport emissions similar to last year
Travel restriction did not have a significant effect on household emissions that are allocated due to transport. The value for the first quarter of 2022 is approximately 3.8% lower than the value for 2021. The value for 2022 is considerably lower than the value for 2020. The data shows that the impact of travel restriction show up in the second, third and fourth quarter of 2020.
The calculated emissions for 2022 is close to the pre-pandemic levels, but 2021 saw considerable increase in registration of electric vehicles in the household sector. The effect of this is likely to have effect here. The calculations here are based on sales of fuels at gas stations and driving distance of vehicles from annual inspections. A model is used for new vehicles that have not come in for inspections.
Emission from industry increased by nearly 14% between years
Emission from industry in the first quarter was 13.9% higher in 2022 compared to last year. An increase is also observed in the third and fourth quarters of 2021 compared to 2020, but this increase coincides with price increase of aluminum and the subsequent increased effort of aluminum producers. Emission values here are based on import and export of industrial materials as well as recorded fuel purchases of key industrial companies.
Values reported here come from preliminary calculations for the economy-based air emission account (AEA). This account includes emissions from operations of Icelandic companies and households regardless of geographical location, and uses the same definition of the economy as is used in national accounts. This is a different scope than what is used in the National Inventory Report (NIR), which the Icelandic Environmental Agency compiles annually.
The NIR takes in emissions that happens within the land-area of Iceland, which means that international flights, international shipping and operations of Icelandic industries and households abroad is not included. The NIR also includes emissions due to land use, land-use change and forestry, but this emission is not considered a part of the economic activity and therefore not in the AEA.