Selection

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This table includes additional information to the above visualized indicators, i.e. a short definition of this indicator and a description of the politically determined target values as well as explaining the political intention behind selecting this indicator.

Definition

The impact caused to the environment around the world by private household consumption is shown here by three indicators. They are domestic and foreign energy consumption, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the use of raw materials in connection with the production and use of all goods destined for the consumption of private households in Germany.

Target and intention

Through their spending habits, private households are responsible for a significant proportion of an economy’s consumption of resources. That consumption occurs not only within the country in question but also indirectly includes the consumption which is involved in the production of imported goods. The indicator therefore provides information about the impact being done to the environment on a global scale as a result of private household consumption. Reducing energy consumption, for example, will conserve resources both domestically and abroad and prevent environmentally harmful carbon dioxide emissions. The intention of the Federal Government is to continuously cut the environmental impact that occurs in connection with private household consumption in all three areas.

Data status

The data published in the indicator report 2022 is as of 31 October 2022. The data shown on this platform is updated regularly, so that more current data may be available online than published in the indicator report 2022.

Text from the Indicator Report 2022 

The consumption behaviour of private households has different consequences for the environment of national and international countries, whereby latter is particularly affected by spill-over effects. This indicator reflects three of the factors behind this impact, namely energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and the use of raw materials for Germany and foreign countries. The relevant data are collated in the environmental economic accounts of a range of governmental and non-governmental sources.

Resources may be consumed by households directly or indirectly. Direct consumption might be the use of gas for heating, fuel for transport or food to eat. Resources are also tied up or consumed at every stage of the process of manufacturing and transporting consumer goods both within Germany and abroad. All of that counts as indirect consumption by German private households when they buy and use those goods. Both types of consumption are included in the present indicator, the environmental impact represented in terms of energy, raw materials and CO₂.

The use of raw materials, energy consumption and CO₂ emissions are closely interconnected. To use coal, oil and gas – material resources – in power plants and boilers to produce electricity and heat is simultaneously to consume energy. As a rule, the burning of fuels also results in the emission of CO₂.

However, the use of raw materials is not restricted to fuels. This is clear from the time series in the graph: while the data for energy consumption and emissions follow a fluctuating but generally downwards trend, the change in the use of raw materials is less marked. That factor is made up both of abiotic resources, which include other mineral resources like sand and salts as well as fuels, and of renewable resources like the products of farming and forestry. While the use of abiotic resources was decreasing until 2014 and increasing from then on, there are contrary developments in the area of agricultural products. This resulted in a slight overall reduction of 2 % between 2010 and 2015. Although rising in 2016, the use of raw materials reached the level of 2010 in the two subsequent years 2017 and 2018.

In contrast, energy consumption went down by 6 % during the period from 2010 to 2017.

Energy loss incurred during the generation of electricity and district heat for consumption by private households is counted as indirect consumption. Energy consumption can be split according to the different fields in which it occurs, namely home life, transport, food, other products and services. At around 3,343 petajoules in total, home life accounted for the largest proportion, 35 % of private household consumption, in 2017.

A similar trend can be seen in CO₂ emissions. The vast majority of emissions are generated indirectly, during the manufacturing process of consumer goods in Germany and abroad, rather than during the actual consumption of the goods. The total CO₂ emissions caused by private household consumption in 2017 amounted to 678 million tonnes. The ratio of direct to indirect emissions was around 1:2. Between 2010 and 2017, direct CO₂ emissions fell by 6 %, while the emissions footprint of consumer goods fell by 9 %. In total, the direct and indirect CO₂ emissions caused by private household consumption decreased by 8 %.

This indicator can be usefully cross-referenced with indicator 8.1 on “raw material input productivity”.

The synoptic table provides information about the evaluation of the indicator in previous years. It shows if the weather symbol assigned to an indicator was rather stable or volatile in the past years. (Evaluation of the Indicator Report 2022 )

Indicator

12.1.ba Global environmental impact by private household consumption – use of raw materials

Target

Steady reduction

Year

2015

2016

2017

2018

Evaluation <p>Sonne</p>
<p>Leicht bewölkt</p>
<p>Wolke</p>
<p>Blitz</p>
Indicator

12.1.bb Global environmental impact by private household consumption – energy consumption

Target

Steady reduction

Year

2015

2016

2017

2018

Evaluation <p>Leicht bewölkt</p>
<p>Leicht bewölkt</p>
<p>Sonne</p>

Assess­ment strating later

Indicator

12.1.bc Global environmental impact by private household consumption – CO₂ emissions

Target

Steady reduction

Year

2015

2016

2017

2018

Evaluation <p>Leicht bewölkt</p>
<p>Leicht bewölkt</p>
<p>Sonne</p>

Assess­ment strating later