Emissions Analysis

Where Emissions Come From

Three views of global CO₂ and GHG emissions: cumulative national responsibility (treemap), emissions by source over time (stacked area), and current sector breakdown versus per-capita exposure by country.

Cumulative CO₂ Emissions by Country — 1751 to 2022

Area proportional to cumulative CO₂ emissions. Colour by region. Europe and North America together account for 62% of all historical emissions despite holding 17% of current world population. Source: Global Carbon Project 2024 / Our World in Data.

Global CO₂ Emissions by Source — 1990 to 2022

Coal remains the dominant source. Natural gas has grown as a share since 2000. Land-use change emissions add 3–4 GtCO₂/year on top of fossil fuels. Source: Global Carbon Project 2024.

Global GHG Emissions by Industry Sector — 2022

Energy supply (34%) and Manufacturing (24%) together produce 58% of global GHG. Transport at 16% is the fastest-growing sector since 2000. Source: IPCC AR6 WG3, EDGAR v8.0.

Annual CO₂ Emissions Per Capita vs. Population — 2022

X = annual emissions per person (tCO₂) · Y = population (millions) · Bubble area = total annual emissions. Small, high-intensity emitters (Gulf states) vs. large, low-intensity emitters (India, Nigeria). Source: GCP 2024, UN Population 2024.

GHG Emissions Flow — Sector → Activity → Gas Type, 2022

Flows show how each industry sector's emissions pass through specific activities before being classified by greenhouse gas type (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, F-Gases). Width proportional to GtCO₂e. Source: EDGAR v8.0, IPCC AR6 WG3.

Historical responsibility

62%

of all CO₂ ever emitted (1751–2022) originated in Europe and North America, which today hold only 17% of world population. China's share is 12.7%.

Current annual leaders

~37 GtCO₂

total global CO₂ emissions in 2022. China (11.4 Gt), USA (4.9 Gt), EU-27 (2.7 Gt) and India (2.8 Gt) together account for 60% of annual output.

Per-capita inequality

30×

gap between highest emitters per capita (Qatar ~35t, Kuwait ~25t, Australia ~17t) and lowest (Chad ~0.1t, DR Congo ~0.05t, Mali ~0.1t). Nigeria: 0.6t despite population of 222 million.

Fastest-growing source

+97%

rise in natural gas CO₂ since 1990, driven by power generation switching from coal. Coal remains the single largest source at 15 GtCO₂ in 2022 — flat since 2015 despite pledges.