GHG Performance Evaluation in Green Deal Context

Abstract

Recently introduced European Green Deal has set a target for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This ambitious commitment will bring a serious challenge for the EU. However, the degree of this challenge will not be the same to all EU member states. In this paper, the multi-criteria decision analysis is applied to rank eight selected EU countries (Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden) regarding GHG performance, and thus illustrate different starting points of the transition to carbon-neutrality. In parallel to the widely used indicator of GHG emissions per capita, evaluation incorporates various other criteria covering energy consumption, population size, and the use of renewable energy and fossil fuel, as well as investment and tax rates. TOPSIS analysis shows that the best GHG performance is achieved by Sweden, while Latvia ranks the lowest. The presented evaluation method could be a useful tool in planning implementation of policies to reach Green Deal settings on European, as well as on a national level.