Greenhouse gas emissions from European Union countries jumped 18% last spring, according to data from the bloc's statistics office, as all economic sectors released more harmful gases into the atmosphere as they recovered from pandemic shutdowns.

Eurostat said emissions totalled 867 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents from April to June, up sharply from the same period last year when lockdowns across the region brought emissions to their lowest levels ever recorded.

However, it added that levels remained below any pre-pandemic quarter and continued a long-term trend of steady reduction.

Guest post from Reuters