This indicator shows the trends in greenhouse gas emissions in Slovenia, the main sources of emissions (by category and sector) and the comparison with other European Union countries (the EU-28). Emissions included in the emission trading system (EU ETS), as well as those not included, are presented. Emissions are expressed in Gg CO₂ equivalent.

Greenhouse gas emissions monitored within the emission inventory include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), F-gasses (such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆). Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated in accordance with the IPCC methodology, which enables international comparability of data. Emissions are being calculated for transport, energy, industrial processes and the use of products, fuels in industry, fuels in households and commercial use, agriculture and waste. Land use, land use change and forestry represents a special category.

EU countries have met the targets of the Kyoto agreement by reducing GHG emissions by more than 20%. They even exceeded the target by 13%, with a 34% reduction in emissions compared to the base year of 1990. Romania, Estonia and Lithuania reduced their emissions the most during this period, all with a 65% reduction. On the other hand, some members have increased emissions, namely Ireland, Austria and Cyprus. Slovenia achieved a 20% reduction in this period. With the exception of 2017, EU countries have achieved their goal every year. Countries were successful in reducing emissions, particularly in 2019 and 2020 when the Covid-19 lock down contributed to the good results.

Total greenhouse gas emissions in Slovenia amounted to the equivalent of 15.851 Gg (gigagram = 1000 tonnes or 1 kilotonne of CO₂) in 2020, which was 22.5% below the value in the base year 1986 and 7.2% less than in the 2019. The decrease in emissions was mainly due to the lower fuel consumption in transport, namely emissions decreased by 1,050 Gg of CO2 equivalent (-18.7%) compared to the previous year. 

In Slovenia, CO₂ has the largest share (81.2% in 2020) of total GHG emissions. It is mostly generated in fuel combustion and industrial processes. It’s followed by methane (11.9%), originating from waste and agriculture, and nitrous oxide (4.9%), which is mostly generated in agriculture as well. Emissions of N₂O from transport are notable as well. Although emissions of F-gases, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), are very low, their contribution to the global warming is still significant (2.0%) due to their strong greenhouse effect.

Covering more than 58% of Slovenia's land area in 2020, forests are an important factor in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, despite not being taken into account to the total GHG emissions of Slovenia. Due to the natural disasters and increased sanitary logging by 50% in the period 2014 – 2018, the total sector become the source of emissions. The condition of forests has improved in the last two years, and in 2020 CO₂ removals were similar to those in the base year.

For meeting the EU 2020 targets, the division of emissions included in the ETS and those not included in the ETS is important. Emissions within ETS, which include all larger electricity and heat producers and all energy-demanding industries are decreasing due to the reduction of available emission allowances available via auctions. In 2020, emissions from these sources in Slovenia decreased by 9.8% compared to the preceding year.

Emissions that are not included in the ETS are particularly important for Slovenia because they can thus be influenced by countries through measures and policies in respected fields. These emissions may not exceed the quantities allocated to individual countries by Decisions 406/2009 and 634/2013. For Slovenia, the 2020 ceiling was 12,307 Gg of CO₂ equivalent. Emissions in Slovenia reached 9,756 Gg of CO₂ equivalent, which was 20.7% below the emission ceiling for that year.

Among sectors outside the ETS, the most important is transport, which contributed 47.0% of these emissions in 2020. Within the transport sector, most emissions are contributed by road transport (99% in 2020). Emissions from transport were increasing steeply up to 2008, when they were 39% higher than in 2005. In 2009, they decreased due to the onset of the economic crisis and increased again in 2011 and 2012. In the period 2013–2015 they decreased slightly again, which can be contributed to higher environmental awareness and sustainable mobility. However due to the increased economic growth, emissions until 2019 increased again.  In 2020, emissions from transport decreased by as much as 18.7% compared to the previous year, but were still 4.0% higher than in 2005. A strong decrease of emissions in 2020 are mainly due to a large reduction in transport activity due to the measures taken during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to a lesser extent due to slower growth of domestic passenger and freight transport, increased vehicle efficiency and increased share of biofuels in transport fuels.

The next important source is agriculture, which contributed 17.7% of emissions. Emissions from this sector change little from year to year and were similar in 2020 as in the previous year and in 2005. The reduction in emissions in this sector is not noticeable despite the measures, as it is offset by higher emissions due to increased production of beef and milk.

With a share of 13.8%, the use of fuel in households and the commercial-institutional sector are the third most important source of GHG emissions outside the ETS. In 2020, these emissions were similar than in the preceding year but as much as half lower than in2005. Such a reduction was largely a result of mild winters in recent years as well as the improved thermal insulation of buildings and the increased use of wood for heating, as CO₂ from biomass is not taken into account.

Other sources that contribute to the emissions outside the ETS are as follows: other use of fuels in industry (7.1%), other process-related emissions (5.1%), waste management (4,3%), and other sources (fugitive emissions, the remainder of the energy sector, etc, [5.2%]).

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol was 2008–2012. The second commitment period began in 2013 and will end in 2020. Currently, the Kyoto Protocol covers less than a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Emission growth is the most rapid in the fastest-growing economies of developing countries. Without their participation, global warming will be impossible to halt.

In December 2015, 195 countries gathered at the climate conference in Paris. They adopted a universal, legally binding agreement to limit global warming. The agreement foresees a transition to a low-carbon society at the global level, extreme reduction in fossil fuel consumption and an increase in average global temperature by no more than 2^oC compared to pre-industrial values. The agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016 and will limit emissions after 2020.

The policy of change pursued by the European Union is ambitious and involves all EU Member States. The adopted EU targets by 2020 are as follows:

• to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%;
• to increase the use of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption by 20%;
• to achieve a 10% share of biofuels in the total amount of fuels used for transport,
• to increase energy efficiency by 20%.

To meet the commitments from the Kyoto Protocol and to achieve a 20% cut in GHG emissions, Slovenia introduced numerous measures. Most measures are described in the Operational programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the period 2013–2020, In addition, the reduction of GHG emissions is also supported by the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency for the period 2008–2016 (the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, 2008) and the National Action Plan for Renewable Energy sources for the period 2010–2020 (the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, 2010). At the EU level, there is also the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050 (European Commission, 2011).