According to Eurostat, coinciding with the opening of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per employed person in the economy have decreased over the last decade in both Cyprus and the EU.

In 2021, Cyprus reported greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 15.1 tonnes per employed person. Although slightly above the EU average, this marked a reduction of about 2.5 tonnes from 2012, when emissions were at 17.6 tonnes per employed person.

In the EU, there was a 26% decrease in emissions from the economy per employed person compared to 2012. This reduction amounted to 3.6 tonnes, falling from 17.3 tonnes per employed person in 2012 to 13.7 tonnes in 2021.

This decline resulted from both a decrease in GHG emissions and an increase in employment, as per Eurostat's analysis.

The EU's emissions per employed person consistently dropped until 2020. However, there was a slight increase of 0.4 tonnes in 2021 compared to the COVID-19 impacted 2020. Despite this, the 2021 emissions were still 6% lower than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Country-specific data for 2021 shows that Ireland recorded the highest emissions per employed person at 22.8 tonnes, followed by Poland and Denmark, both at 21.4 tonnes.

Conversely, Malta (7.5 tonnes per employed person), Sweden (7.9), and Portugal (9.7) recorded the lowest figures.

In Ireland, the majority of GHG emissions come from the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, accounting for 41% or 206 tonnes per employed person.

In Poland, 39% of GHG emissions are produced by the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning services, amounting to 743 tonnes per employed person. In Denmark, most emissions are related to transportation and storage, constituting 52% or 241 tonnes per employed person.