SYNTHESIS INE@COVID-19, 6 Jan-2021

January . 06 . 2021 SYNTH SIS IN @ COVID-19 www.ine.pt page 5/12 Communication Unit | tel: +351 21 842 61 10 | sci@ine.pt Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Environment The containment and mitigation measures implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by restricting the mobility of people and goods, have contributed to less pressure on the environment in the period January-September 2020. Household consumption Final consumption expenditure of resident households decreased by 6.7% in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to the same period of the previous year. However, there was an increase, in absolute terms, in food expenditure: the respective budget coefficient increased by 2.1 percentage points (p.p.) and now accounts for 20.9% of total expenditure by resident households over the three quarters. This has certainly contributed to Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries being the only sector of activity to show an increase (10.1%) in fuel-burning emissions, although their contribution to the cumulative total of these emissions is negligible (3.7% of the total in the three quarters of 2020). Changes in production The contraction in consumption eventually had a strong impact on economic activity. As a result, fuel-burning emissions were reduced by more than 1/5, with significant reductions in energy consumption. Waste generated by economic activities also fell, with diesel consumption decreasing by more than 15%. Some indicators on production and economic activity in the period January to September 2020 (absolute figures and year-on-year rates of change): • Energy consumption: » Electricity: 23,420 Gwh (-8.2%); » Natural gas: 2,176 x 10 6 Nm 3 (-11.9%); • Emissions (industrial sector): 27,435 kt CO 2 eq (-21.9%); • Diesel consumption: 2,945 Kt (-15.4%); • Sectorial waste generated: 6 million tonnes (-3.9%).