Descrizione 1
Antonella Bernetti, Antonio Caputo
The indicator assesses greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector to monitor progress towards national and international targets. In 2022, transport accounted for 26.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Italy. Between 1990 and 2019, transport emissions (excluding international transport/bunkers) increased by 4.1%. In 2020, a sharp decline (-18.6% compared to 2019) was observed, mainly due to mobility restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, emissions increased by 18.9% from 2020 to 2021. In 2022, a further estimated increase of 6.7% brought emissions back to pre-pandemic levels. Overall, emissions from the transport sector rose by 7.4% from 1990 to 2022. The national transport system faces multiple critical issues and remains far from achieving the ambitious 2030 and 2050 EU climate targets.
Rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing significant changes in global temperatures and the Earth’s climate, with potential adverse effects on ecosystems, human settlements, agriculture, and socio-economic activities.
The indicator considers emissions of the three main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Other regulated greenhouse gases (hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride) are not relevant to the transport sector.
To assess greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in order to verify compliance with national and international reduction targets.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in New York on 9 May 1992, was ratified in Italy by Law No. 65/1994. The Kyoto Protocol, linked to the UNFCCC and signed in Kyoto on 11 December 1997, was ratified by Law No. 120/2002. It establishes a target of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 6.5% compared to 1990 levels within the commitment period 2008–2012. In Italy, the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment and the Protection of Land and Sea, is responsible for preparing and annually updating the national greenhouse gas inventory in accordance with the required formats. This is carried out in line with Legislative Decree No. 51/2008 and Legislative Decree No. 30/2013, which establish a National System for the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions.
The White Paper on transport, including international aviation but excluding international shipping, sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030 compared to 2008 levels, and by 60% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Furthermore, the White Paper establishes the following objectives: the achievement of CO₂-free urban logistics in major urban centres by 2030; and, at the European level, a 40% reduction of CO₂ emissions from maritime bunker fuels by 2050 compared to 2005.
A new global agreement was reached in Paris in December 2015, applicable to the post-2020 period. The agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the increase in global average temperature well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 °C. The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016.
To address the gap for the period 2013–2020, the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was adopted on 8 December 2012. The EU and its Member States committed to this second phase of the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to reduce their collective emissions by 20% below 1990 levels or another base year. Italy ratified and implemented the Doha Amendment through Law No. 79/2016, which also defined a national low-carbon development strategy, established a National System for policies, measures and projections, and set out provisions for monitoring and communicating greenhouse gas emissions and climate change-related information.
Considering overall emissions from sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)—including transport, residential, agriculture, and waste—the Italian reduction targets for 2020 and 2030 are established by the Effort Sharing Decision (Decision No. 406/2009) and the Effort Sharing Regulation (Regulation EU 2018/842), respectively. These targets are set at -13% and -33% compared to 2005 greenhouse gas emission levels.
Directive 2009/30/EC on fuel quality requires a minimum 6% reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of transport fuels by 2020. With regard to the reduction of CO₂ emissions from vehicles, the targets for 2015 for passenger cars (Regulation EC No. 443/2009) and for 2017 for light commercial vehicles (Regulation EU No. 510/2011) were achieved already in 2013.
On 17 April 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation EU 2019/631, establishing new CO₂ emission performance standards for cars and vans. The regulation has been in effect since 1 January 2020. Regulation EU 2019/1242, which sets CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, entered into force on 14 August 2019.
The 2030 Climate and Energy Framework outlines EU-wide policy objectives for the period 2021–2030. Its key targets for 2030 include: at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels; a minimum 32% share of renewable energy; and an improvement in energy efficiency of at least 32.5%. The framework was adopted by the European Council in October 2014, and the targets on renewable energy and energy efficiency were revised upward in 2018.
Regulation EU 2018/1999 on the governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action sets out mechanisms and procedures to achieve the Union’s energy and climate objectives for 2030. Directive EU 2018/2001 establishes a common framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources, setting a binding overall target. Member States must collectively ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in the Union’s gross final energy consumption is at least 32% by 2030. To this end, they are required to set national contributions as part of their integrated national energy and climate plans in accordance with Regulation EU 2018/1999.
The European Green Deal (European Commission, 2019) foresees an acceleration of the transition towards sustainable and smart mobility. Among its key climate neutrality targets for 2050 are: a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector compared to 1990 levels; a strengthening of multimodality, in particular by increasing freight transport via rail and inland waterways—being the least carbon-intensive motorised transport modes; and the expansion of the production and use of sustainable alternative fuels for the transport sector.
In alignment with the EU’s objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels (the “Fit for 55” package), the revision of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), formally adopted by the European Council in March 2023, updated the national reduction targets for 2030 in non-ETS sectors such as transport, buildings, agriculture, and waste. For Italy, the revised 2030 target has been set at -43.7%.
Descrizione 2
- European Commission. (2011a). Communication: A roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 (COM/2011/0112 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0112
- European Commission. (2011b). Energy roadmap 2050 (COM/2011/0885 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0885
- European Commission. (2019). The European Green Deal (COM/2019/0640 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52019DC0640
- European Commission. (2017). White paper on the future of Europe (COM/2017/2025 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52017DC2025
- European Commission. (2011c). White paper: Roadmap to a single European transport area (COM/2011/0144 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0144
- European Environment Agency. (2024). Monitoring CO₂ emissions from passenger cars [Database]. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/co2-cars-emission-20
- European Environment Agency. (2024). Annual greenhouse gas emissions by member state [Data viewer]. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/data-viewers/greenhouse-gases-viewer
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2006). 2006 IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/
- Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research. (2024). *National inventory report 1990-2022* (Report No. 398/2024). https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/
- Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. (2023). Integrated national energy and climate plan. https://www.mase.gov.it/sites/default/files/PNIEC_2023.pdf
- Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. (2024). National energy balance [Database]. https://dgsaie.mise.gov.it/ben.php
- Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. (2024). Guide to fuel savings and CO₂ emissions. https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/mercato-e-consumatori/qualita-di-prodotti-e-servizi/auto-ed-emissioni-co2
- Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. (2024). National energy balance [Database]. https://dgsaie.mise.gov.it/ben.php
- Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. (2024). Guide to fuel savings and CO₂ emissions. https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/mercato-e-consumatori/qualita-di-prodotti-e-servizi/auto-ed-emissioni-co2
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2024). GHG data interface. https://di.unfccc.int/detailed_data_by_party
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Qualificazione dati
European Environment Agency. (2024). Annual greenhouse gas emissions by member state [Data viewer]. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/data-viewers/greenhouse-gases-viewer
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Data and publications on historical emissions time series, https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Database on annual greenhouse gas emissions by country and category, https://di.unfccc.int/detailed_data_by_party
National
1990 - 2022
Qualificazione indicatore
The estimation of greenhouse gas emissions, as required by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is performed starting from energy consumption data using appropriate emission factors and applying sophisticated algorithms. Harmonized calculation models at the European level are employed. Emissions are calculated according to the IPCC Guidelines under the Convention and refer solely to domestic transport, excluding international bunker emissions.
A poor assessment is attributed to the current state due to persistent critical issues in the national transport system, which remains far from achieving the ambitious 2030 and 2050 European greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. In Italy, transport-related GHG emissions accounted for 26.6% of the national total in 2022 (Table 1). Alongside the energy industry, the transport sector is one of the primary contributors to overall emissions. Road transport remains the dominant mode, with fossil fuel consumption still prevailing. Although air transport has shown significant growth over the years, it accounted for only 2.3% of transport emissions in 2022 (data not included in the table). In the same year, 66.8% of carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector originated from passenger transport, while road transport—both passenger and freight—represented 91.5% of the sector’s total (Table 2).
Despite a 14.5% reduction compared to 2005, GHG emissions from the transport sector amounted to 109,774.4 kilotonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2022. Under the Effort Sharing Regulation (EU) 2023/857, Italy is required to achieve a 43.7% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 (relative to 2005 levels) for sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), including agriculture, residential and commercial buildings, waste, transport, and non-ETS industrial facilities. In 2022, the transport sector accounted for 38.8% of total emissions from sectors covered by the Effort Sharing Regulation (see indicator “Greenhouse gas emissions in ETS and ESD sectors”). Therefore, its contribution is crucial for meeting the 2030 target.
A negative assessment is attributed to the trend, as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector increased by 7.4% between 1990 and 2022 (Table 1). The temporal evolution mirrors the pattern of fuel consumption: a steady rise until 2007, followed by a general decline, with intermittent increases observed in 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The overall emissions trend for the sector closely follows that of road transport, which represents the dominant share of total transport emissions. Among transport modes, aviation has exhibited the most pronounced growth (data not shown in the table).
The sector’s trajectory results from the combined dynamics of passenger transport—largely driven by private motor vehicles—and freight transport, which remains heavily reliant on road haulage. These dynamics have been significantly influenced by the economic crisis beginning in 2007, although recent years have shown signs of recovery. The increasing transport demand over time, despite periods of economic downturn, has largely offset gains achieved in vehicle energy efficiency and the growing adoption of lower-emission fuels.
At the EU level (EU27), transport sector emissions rose by approximately 20% between 1990 and 2022, despite a decrease recorded between 2008 and 2013, and again in 2020. It is also worth noting that Eastern European countries experienced a steeper increase in transport-related emissions compared to Western European countries (Table 3).
Dati
Table 1: Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by gas species and share of total emissions (excluding international aviation and maritime bunker fuels)
ISPRA
The data are derived from the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory reported under the UNFCCC framework. Total national emissions are considered net of removals attributed to the LULUCF sector (Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry). The historical time series has been recalculated from 1990 onward based on methodological updates applied at the IPCC sectoral estimation level.
Table 2: Percentages of CO₂ emissions by traffic type and transport mode (excluding international aviation and shipping) in Italy
ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
The data derive from the National Emission Inventory reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The reference pertains to transport emissions within national jurisdiction. The historical time series has been recalculated consistently with the annual update of the Inventory.
Table 3: Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in other States
European Environment Agency (EEA), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, as reported by countries under the UNFCCC and the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism (MMR). In addition to European countries, emissions data for China (latest available data from 2014), the Russian Federation, Japan, and the United States are also provided for comparative purposes. For EU Member States, greenhouse gas emissions are presented as reported both under the EU Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (MMR) and within the framework of the UNFCCC. The United Kingdom and Iceland also submit their greenhouse gas inventories to the EU in accordance with the MMR. Their inventories are included in the EU inventory submitted to the UNFCCC under the Kyoto Protocol through the end of 2022. As members of the European Environment Agency (EEA), inventories from Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Turkey are also included. The EU-27 aggregate (referring to the current European Union comprising 27 Member States) is reported. For Italy, the most recent officially submitted data (as of April 2024) have been included in the table, although they had not yet been incorporated into the EEA database as of the latest update (18 June 2024).
Figure 1: Carbon dioxide emissions from road transport in 2022
ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
In 2022, transport accounted for 26.6% of Italy’s total greenhouse gas emissions (Table 1). Sector emissions (excluding international transport/bunkers) increased overall by 7.4% between 1990 and 2022: from 1990 to 2019, emissions grew by 4.1%, followed by a significant decline in 2020 (-18.6%), primarily attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent recovery led to an increase in emissions of 18.9% from 2020 to 2021 and 6.7% from 2021 to 2022. Carbon dioxide emissions, which in 2022 constituted 99.0% of the sectoral total, are closely linked to energy consumption, with the majority originating from road transport. Most emissions associated with air traffic derive from international flights, i.e., aircraft connecting EU member states or between a member state and a third country. However, the actual impact of aviation emissions on global warming is higher, since air transport affects the climate by releasing water vapor at high altitudes, which can lead to the formation of contrails and cirrus clouds, thereby contributing negatively to global warming.
The reduction in overall methane emissions from transport results from a combined effect: technological improvements limiting emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vehicle exhausts, alongside the expansion of the two-wheeler fleet, which has increased emissions. It should be noted that Italy has a considerable fleet of motorcycles and mopeds, only some of which comply with limits on VOC emissions (including methane). Nitrous oxide emissions are related to vehicle technology and are connected to the use of catalytic converters.