Big emitters Britain and Spain recently gave an update on their greenhouse gas reduction efforts, revealing different outcomes.

According to Britain’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, the country’s basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol was estimated to be at 628.3 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).

The figure is 1.9 percent lower than 640.5 million metric tons registered in 2007’s. The overall decrease was largely attributed to the country’s continued switch from coal to natural gas.

Britain’s industries slashed the largest amount of emissions at 7.3 percent. This was followed by transportation (3 percent), energy supply (2.9 percent) and businesses (2.6 percent). But residential sector emission rose 3.1 percent.

Of all the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide accounted for 85 percent of the Britain’s total emissions. Net emission of the gas was estimated at 532.8 million metric tons in 2008 – 2 percent lower than 543.6 million metric tons in 2007.

Spain, meanwhile, predicts that its greenhouse gas emissions for 2008 until 2010 will exceed the 1990 limits set by the Kyoto Protocol by as much as 19.45 percent.

The country’s environment ministry told Reuters recently that Spain is planning to bridge a gap of 22 percent above Kyoto limits by offsetting 20 percentage points through the purchase of emissions rights from less industrialized countries. Another 2 points of emission reduction would come by investing in forests, which act as carbon sinks.

There is a hint of irony at Spain’s announcement, the country initially having been allowed by the U.N. recently to emit 15 percent more for 2008 to 2012, since it is not considered as too heavily industrialized.

Spain’s estimated emissions would be, on average, 34.45 percent above 1990 levels, the benchmark year set by the protocol, Reuters reported.

Ed Miliband, British energy and climate secretary, expressed appreciation of the emission pledges published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change following the January 31 deadline agreed to in Copenhagen to come up with concrete targets.

“Just one month after Copenhagen, countries accounting for nearly 80 percent of global emissions have shown they’re pushing ahead with domestic action on climate change. With countries including the United States, China and India setting out what they will do, this is a significant change compared with just twelve months ago,” said Mr. Miliiband.