Main sources of transportation emissions
The largest share of EU transportation emissions come from road vehicles, which accounted for roughly three-quarters of the sector’s total GHG emissions in 2021. In fact, fuel combustion of petroleum-based products in road transportation is the single biggest CO₂ emitter in the EU. Passenger cars are responsible for some 60 percent of road transportation CO₂ emissions. Ranked second are heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses, which emit more than 200 MtCO₂e per year and account for around one quarter of road transportation emissions. While this is roughly half the emissions of cars, there are far fewer HGVs on the road, which demonstrates just how polluting these vehicles can be.In terms of EU member states, the biggest contributors to transportation emissions are Germany, France, and Italy. Combined, these three countries are responsible for almost half of EU-wide road transportation emissions.