Absolute and adjusted CO2 equivalent emissions data of EU regions’ energy and heavy industry sectors

This article presents a balanced panel dataset of absolute and adjusted carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq) emissions (i.e., total, per capita, and per unit of industrial gross value added) from energy and heavy industry sectors in 238 regions across 27 EU countries over a 13-year period (2008-2020). Secondary data on verified CO₂-eq emissions aggregated at the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 level, as defined by EUROSTAT, for the period 2008-2016 were obtained from a previous dataset [1]. Additional CO₂-eq emissions data for 2017-2020 were extracted at the installation level from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) registry. Data extraction was automated through a dedicated script, followed by consistency checks to ensure reliability; the resulting data were then aggregated to the regional level. Demographic data on population (as of 1 January) and economic data on industrial gross value added (GVA, expressed in million euros) were obtained from EUROSTAT at the NUTS 2 level for the entire reference period and incorporated into the dataset. Changes in the NUTS 2 classification during the considered period required dataset harmonization and imputation techniques to address missing values. The dataset has been used in prior research to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of CO₂-eq emissions [2] and their socio-economic drivers across EU regions [4]. Its transparent and replicable structure ensures reproducibility, facilitates the integration of new emissions and socio-economic data, and supports future studies on regional decarbonization dynamics, emission clustering, and spatial spillover effects.