Global warming in Belgium
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Climate change in Belgium describes the global warming related issues in Belgium. Belgium has the 7th largest CO2 emission per capita in the EU. The CO2 emissions have dropped 19.0% since in comparison with 1990 levels. The average temperature has risen 1.9 degrees Celsius since measurements began in 1890, with an acceleration since 1954.


Greenhouse gas emissions

In 2021, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 146.9 million tons of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2 eq), whose 88 Mt came from the Flemish Region, 54.8 Mt from the Walloon Region and 4 Mt from the Brussels-capital Region.


Targets by region


Flemish Region

The target of the Flemish Region is a reduction of 5.2% of GHG in the period 2008-2012 compared to 1990. That means average emissions of 83.4 million tons CO2 equivalent in the 2008-2012 period. The 2008–2012, Flemish allocation plan deals with installation consuming more than 0.5 PJ (139
GWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
) annually. 17% of GHG emissions comes from transportation and 21 from electricity production and heat production (excluded heat for buildings). There are 178 installations listed. The largest emitters are, with their emissions in tons of CO2 equivalent (t CO2 eq) per year: * Sidmar owned by ArcelorMittal in Ghent: 8,918,495 *
Total Total may refer to: Mathematics * Total, the summation of a set of numbers * Total order, a partial order without incomparable pairs * Total relation, which may also mean ** connected relation (a binary relation in which any two elements are comp ...
refinery in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
: 4,323,405 * BASF in Antwerp: 2,088,422 * Zandvliet Power, a joint venture of BASF and GDF Suez, in
Zandvliet Zandvliet () is a former Belgian town forming part of the Antwerp district of Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo. The place dates back to 1135 when it was known as ''Santflit'', meaning "a navigable passage through sand". In 1622 the Spaniard Ambrogio ...
: 1,119,158 *
Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...
refinery in Antwerp: 1,933,000 * Fina Olefins in Antwerp: 1,414,550 *Electrabel in Herdersbrug: 990,397 *Electrabel in
Drogenbos Drogenbos (; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2018, Drogenbos had a total population of 5,599. The total area is 2.49 km² (0.9 ...
: 998,794 *E.ON Benelux in Vilvoorde: 828,920 *SPE in Ringvaarts: 807,066 *Electrabel in Ruien: 730,332 *E.ON Benelux in Langerloo: 586,961 * Degussa in Antwerp: 526,949


Brussels-Capital Region

Being a federal state, Brussels-Capital Region also made a second allocation plan for 2008–2012 based on the decree of June 3, 2004 that implements the European directive 2003/87/CE. In that plan, Brussels objective is to have an increase of maximum 3.475% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990. In 2004, the Brussels-Capital Region emitted 4.4 million tons CO2 equivalent, an increase of 9% compared to 1990 when emissions were 4.083 Mt CO2 eq. The emissions come from domestic use (45%), tertiary sector (25%) and transportation (19%), and energy/industry (2%). The 4.4 Mt CO2 eq do not take into account GHG emission due to electricity production outside the region. The 2008–2012 allocation plans include only eight facilities: * Audi (former Volkswagen plant) auto production plant in Forest *a
BNP Paribas BNP Paribas is a French international banking group, founded in 2000 from the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP, "National Bank of Paris") and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. The full name of the grou ...
facility (former
Fortis Fortis may refer to: Business * Fortis AG, a Swiss watch company * Fortis Films, an American film and television production company founded by actress and producer Sandra Bullock * Fortis Healthcare, a chain of hospitals in India * Fortis Inc ...
) * Bruda plant producing Asphalt * Electrabel
turbo-jet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
power plant in Schaerbeek *Electrabel turbo-jet power plant at ''Buda'' * Electrabel turbo-jet power plant owned at ''Volta'' *an
RTBF The ''Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française'' (RTBF, ''Belgian Radio-television of the French Community'', branded as rtbf.be) is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Commu ...
television facility * World Trade Center building


Walloon Region

In the second allocation plan (for the period 2008–2012), the Walloon Region is planning a reduction of 7.5% of GHG emissions compared to 1990 when 54.84 million tons CO2 equivalent was emitted. The plan for 2008-2012 includes 172 premises. In 2005, the largest emitters were (number in tons CO2 equivalent per year): * CCB cement plant in
Gaurain-Ramecroix Gaurain-Ramecroix is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Tournai, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northw ...
: 1,515,543 * Holcim cement plant in
Obourg Obourg ( wa, Obour) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality until the fusion of the Belgian municipalities in 1977. History It is the site of the f ...
: 1,508,060 * Electrabel power plant in Monceau: 1,260,520 * CBR cement plant in Lixhe: 1,059,929 * Dumont Wautier Lime plant in Saint Georges: 1,294,087 Other large emitter are cast iron and steel producer in
Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.
and
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
. On October 22, 2009, BASF announced that they will close the plant located at
Feluy Feluy ( wa, Felû) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Seneffe, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The first mention of the village is from 673, but the settlement probably dates back to the time of the Gauls. ...
at the end of 2009. That plant had a yearly allocation of 36,688 tons of CO2 equivalent.


Mitigation and adaptation


Policies and legislation

Being a member of the European Union, Belgium, applied the European Union Emission Trading Scheme set up by the Directive 2003/87/EC. The
Kyoto protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...
sets a 7.5% reduction of
greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs and Emission (electromagnetic radiation), emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse ...
emission target compared to 1990. Belgium set up a
National Allocation Plan The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is a "cap and trade" scheme where a limit is placed on the right to emit specified pollutants over an area and companies can trade emission rights within that area. It covers around 45% of th ...
at the federal level with target for each of the three regions. On 14 November 2002, Belgium signed the ''Cooperation Agreement for the implementation of a National Climate Plan and reporting in the context of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto protocol''. The first
National Allocation Plan The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is a "cap and trade" scheme where a limit is placed on the right to emit specified pollutants over an area and companies can trade emission rights within that area. It covers around 45% of th ...
was for the period from 2005 to 2007. The European commission approved it on 20 October 2004. The second allocation plan was for the period 2008-2012 and aims a reduction of 7.5% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990.


Paris Agreement

The
Paris agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...
is a legally binding international agreement, its main goal is to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The
Nationally Determined Contributions A nationally determined contribution (NDC) or intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) is a non-binding national plan highlighting climate change mitigation, including climate-related targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions. These ...
(NDC's) are the plans to fight climate change adapted for each country. Every party in the agreement has different targets based on its own historical climate records and country's circumstances and all the targets for each country are stated in their NDC. In the case of member countries of the European Union the goals are very similar and the European Union work with a common strategy within the Paris Agreement.


See also

*
Plug-in electric vehicles in Belgium , there were around 72,000 battery electric vehicles registered in Belgium, equivalent to 1.2% of all vehicles in the country. , 5.8% of new cars sold in Belgium were electric. Government policy In 2021, the Belgian government announced a policy ...


References

{{Europe topic, Climate change in Climate change in Belgium Belgium