Malta reports highest increase in carbon footprint in EU last year

VALLETTA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Malta was estimated to have increased by 12.8 percent, the highest increase across the European Union, according to figures published by Eurostat on Friday.

Eurostat estimated that EU average stood at 1.8 percent. Malta was followed by Estonia with 11.3 percent and Bulgaria with 8.3 percent.

In 2016, Malta registered the largest drop in CO2 emissions after completing its shift to an LNG-powered power station.

The European Union was struggling to reach targets to cut down on CO2 emissions, which have increased at a faster rate over the past two years.

In fact, only six member states succeeded in reducing their emissions last year. Denmark and Finland were the only two countries to reduce their emissions for two successive years.

Germany was responsible for 23 percent of the EU's emissions, followed by Britain with 11.2 percent and France with 10 percent. Enditem