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{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Emisiones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero}}

One of the effects of the restrictions on mobility and on economic activity during spring 2020 was the temporary reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions recorded worldwide. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (2021) estimated gross emissions of 271.5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂-eq) for 2020 in the ''Progress of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory'' (''Avance del Inventario de Emisiones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero''), an overall 13.7% drop compared to 2019. Furthermore, total emissions were 6.4% lower than in 1990 and 38.6% lower than in 2005. This was the first time in the series (1990-2020) that emissions dipped below the figure for 1990. The graph on the ''[[:File:Evolution in greenhouse gas emissions by sector|Evolution in greenhouse gas emissions by sector]]'' shows the steady decline in emissions from 2000 to 2020 in several sectors, with three distinct turning points in 2008, 2013 and 2020, simultaneous to three economic downturns. Absorptions from the land-use sector, forestry and changes of use were estimated at 36.6 million tonnes of CO₂-eq (13.5% of the total gross emissions in the Inventory for 2020) and must be deducted from the gross amount. Therefore, net emissions in 2020 were estimated at 234.9 million tonnes of CO₂-eq, i.e. a drop of 15.2% compared to 2019.

The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions registered in 2020 shall be regarded as an exception; it had a transient and minor impact on the overall levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and, therefore, on global climate. Given that what really matters from a global perspective is the cumulative effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the impact of a temporary reduction, such as the one registered during lockdown, is negligible. In fact, a detailed analysis of historical emission trends shows that emissions would have reduced even without COVID-19. Specifically, the study carried out by the Spanish Observatory of the Energy Transition and Climate Action (OTEA, 2020) found that whilst 71% of the reduction registered in 2020 may be attributed to the pandemic, the remaining 29% would have been achieved by simply keeping the decreasing trend recorded in recent years.