Europe is responsible for only 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Omissions

• The 6% figure covers EU27 territorial (production-based) annual emissions only; it excludes emissions embedded in imported goods. Eurostat's consumption-based GHG footprint for the EU is larger (10.7 tonnes CO2eq per capita in 2022).
• 'Europe' and 'EU27' are not identical: including the UK, Switzerland, Norway and the Western Balkans would raise the European share above 6%.
• The claim omits the EU's much larger share of cumulative historical emissions since 1750, which is the metric most often used in 'responsibility' debates.
• Data are for 2023/2024 and are the most recent available before the session date; the exact figure fluctuates slightly year to year (6.1% in 2023, 5.9% in 2024).

Sources

• PrimaryEDGAR – GHG emissions of all world countries, 2025 report (European Commission Joint Research Centre)"In 2024, EU27 emissions decreased by 1.8% (-57.9 Mt CO2eq) and the EU27's share of global emissions decreased from 6.1% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024."
• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained – Greenhouse gas emission footprints"Some 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents were produced in the EU (6% of the global emissions)."
• PrimaryEurostat news – EU greenhouse gas footprint: 10.7 tonnes per capitaEU greenhouse gas emission footprint of 10.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per capita (2022); the footprint metric captures emissions embodied in consumption, including imports, and is higher than the territorial measure.