Spain Fossil-Fuel CO₂ Emissions

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Based on 2008 fossil-fuel CO₂ emission estimates, Spain ranks as the 19th highest national emitter of CO₂ with 90 million metric tons of carbon. Liquid fuels have been the dominant source of CO₂ from Spain since 1966, contributing 53% of emissions in 2008 after averaging almost 70% in the mid-1970s. Coal was the dominant CO₂ source before 1966 and still contributed 16% in 2008, although emissions from coal have changed little since the 1980s. Emissions from natural gas use have grown twenty-fold since 1980 and now result in a release from Spain of 22 million metric tons of carbon. Annual per capita emissions remain low, in contrast with those of most other Western European nations, at a rate of 2.02 metric tons of carbon.