Austria had failed to meet the greenhouse gas emission target set by the Kyoto Protocol in 2009, Austria's environment ministry said Wednesday in a press release.

In 2009, Austria recorded a total greenhouse gas emission of 80. 1 million tons, missing the 68.8-million-ton target set by the Kyoto Protocol for the country. The ministry cited traffic and industry as the biggest "problem children" in the balance.

Niki Berlakovich, Austria's environment minister, said that emission in 2009 had decreased 6.8 million tons compared with 2008, following a downward trend. However, the figure for 2010 could rise again due to faster economic recovery in the year.

In 2009, traffic emission recorded a decrease of 0.9 tons over 2008, but it was still 2.8 million tons higher than that required by the Kyoto Protocol. Industry-related emission was 2.1 million tons more than the Protocol's requirement.