Latvia is among the OECD leaders in the use of renewable energy sources
Latvia has distinct energy use and GHG emission profiles
Latvia will likely meet its 2020 GHG mitigation target but not the 2030 target
PM2.5 concentrations are high by international comparison
Most of the population has access to advanced wastewater treatment
Only a quarter of CO2 emissions face a sufficiently high carbon price
Progress on material productivity and waste recovery needs to be consolidated
Current protection efforts are not sufficient to reverse biodiversity loss
The Latvian economy has been growing steadily since 2010
Latvians are most worried about waste and pollution of air and water
Renewables cover a large and increasing share of energy needs
Latvia has made progress in decoupling economic growth from energy use and GHG emissions
Household buildings and transport are the main energy users
The vehicle fleet is old and carbon-intensive
Further efforts are needed to meet the 2030 EU target
Transport and agriculture are the main sources of GHG emissions
Increasing forest harvesting reduced net GHG removals
Air emissions have declined
Most of Latvia’s population is exposed to high PM2.5 concentrations
Progress on material productivity and waste recovery needs to be consolidated and strengthened
Forests are a key economic asset
Nitrogen fertiliser consumption and the nitrogen surplus have increased
Protected areas have reached the Aichi targets
Per capita freshwater abstractions are among the lowest in the OECD
The quality of surface water bodies is generally below the EU average
Most of the population has access to advanced wastewater treatment: Percentage of population connected to public wastewater treatment plants, 2017
The number of inspections has steadily declined in recent years
The number of ISO 14001 certifications has been rising
Green public procurement is on track to reach the 20% policy target
Revenue from environmentally related taxes is high by international comparison
Vehicle sales and diesel use have driven environmentally related tax revenue
Effective tax rates on CO2 emissions are low
The surplus of EU ETS allowances has dropped since 2013
Households bear most of the environmentally related tax burden
Fossil fuel consumption support is among the highest in the OECD
Fossil fuel consumption support has increased
Public expenditure for environmental protection has decreased
Business environmental expenditure has declined and focuses on managing waste
A large share of public R&D spending goes to environmental and energy research
Green patent applications have grown since the mid-2010s, but the numbers are modest
The energy sector dominates green industry value added and employment
Material use is driven by socio-economic developments and is dominated by biomass
Progress with waste recovery needs to be consolidated
Markets for recyclable waste depend on external demand
Low landfill taxes encourage landfilling
The conservation status of habitats and species is poor and declining
The population trend of breeding and wintering bird species is stable
Latvia achieved the Aichi targets for terrestrial and marine protected areas
Half of forests are under sustainable management certification
The farmland bird population in Latvia is among the highest in the OECD
Organic farming is growing