Finnish carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions totaled 88.5 million tonnes last year, according to provisional figures from Statistics Finland.

All industrial nations ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to take effect in February next year, have bound themselves to meet specific targets for reducing or curbing emissions of six so-called greenhouse gases by the 2008-2012 period, which in Finland's case is the 1990 level.

These gases, caused by rotting organic material and burning fossil fuels, are blamed for causing climate change as they stay in the atmosphere, trapping heat from the sun and thereby increasing Earth's surface temperature.

It may be difficult for Finland to meet its Kyoto promises, and the Nordic country could be forced to buy emissions rights from other nations, something which is allowed under the treaty, Outi Berghaell, an official at the environment ministry, told Finnish news agency FNB.

Finland could also help other countries, such as developing nations, to cut their discharges in order to make up for its own shortfall, she added.

Finnish CO2 emissions stayed close to the 1990 level of some 73.5 million tonnes until 2000, when the Nordic country's technology boom sent them soaring due to increased use of fossil fuels, Statistics Finland said.

Methane emissions, also regulated by the UN-sponsored treaty, have at the same time dropped by a fifth in Finland however, due to lower livestock figurers and better waste management, the semi-public agency said.

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