Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry totaled 37.01 billion metric tons (GtCO₂) in 2023. Emissions are projected to have risen 1.08 percent in 2024 to reach a record high of 37.41 GtCO₂. Since 1990, global CO₂ emissions have increased by more than 60 percent. Who are the biggest emitters? The biggest contributor to global GHG emissions is China, followed by the United States. China wasn't always the world's biggest emitter, but rapid economic growth and industrialization in recent decades have seen emissions there soar. Since 1990, CO₂ emissions in China have increased by almost 450 percent. By comparison, U.S. CO₂ emissions have fallen by 6.1 percent. Nevertheless, the North American country remains the biggest carbon polluter in history. Global events cause emissions to drop The outbreak of COVID-19 caused global CO₂ emissions to plummet some 5.5 percent in 2020 as a result of lockdowns and other restrictions. However, this wasn't the only time in recent history when a major global event caused emissions reductions. For example, the global recession resulted in CO₂ levels to fall by almost two percent in 2009, while the recession in the early 1980s also had a notable impact on emissions. On a percentage basis, the largest annual reduction was at the end of the Second World War in 1945, when emissions decreased by 17 percent.

In 2023, global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes reached a record high of 37.8 billion metric tons (GtCO₂). Global CO₂ emissions are projected to have reached record levels in 2024. The world has pumped more than 1,800 GtCO₂ into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution began, though almost 45 percent has been produced since 2000. What is carbon dioxide? CO₂ is a colorless, naturally occurring gas that is released after people and animals inhale oxygen. It is a greenhouse gas, meaning it absorbs and releases thermal radiation which in turn creates the “greenhouse effect”. In addition to other greenhouse gases, CO₂ is also a major contributor to the ability of the Earth to maintain a habitable temperature. Without CO₂ and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be too cold to live on. However, while CO₂ alone is not a harmful gas, the abundance of it is what causes climate change. The increased use of electricity, transportation, and deforestation in human society have resulted in the increased emissions of CO₂, which in turn has seen a rise in earth’s temperature. In fact, around 70 percent of global warming since 1851 is attributable to CO₂ emissions from human activities. Who are the largest emitters worldwide? China is the biggest carbon polluter worldwide, having released almost 12 GtCO₂ in 2023. This was more than the combined emissions of the United States and India, the second and third-largest emitters that year, respectively.

In 2023, China was the biggest carbon polluter in the world by far, having released 11.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂). Although the U.S. was the second-biggest emitter, with 4.9 GtCO₂ in 2023, its CO₂ emissions have declined by 13 percent since 2010. By comparison, China’s CO₂ emissions have increased by more than 38 percent in the same period. Cumulative emissions Although China is currently the world's largest carbon polluter, the U.S. has released far more historical carbon dioxide emissions, at more than 400 GtCO₂ since 1750. The wide gap between the two countries is because China's emissions have mostly been produced in the past two decades. Combined, the U.S. and China account for roughly 40 percent of cumulative CO₂ emissions since the Industrial Revolution began. Sources of emissions One of the largest sources of global CO₂ emissions is the power sector, with electricity produced by coal-fired power plants a significant contributor. In China, emissions from coal-fired electricity generation have soared since the turn of the century, and reached 5.2 GtCO₂ in 2023.

United States US: CO2 Emissions data was reported at 5,254,279.285 kt in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,159,160.972 kt for 2013. United States US: CO2 Emissions data is updated yearly, averaging 4,823,403.118 kt from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,789,727.291 kt in 2005 and a record low of 2,880,505.507 kt in 1961. United States US: CO2 Emissions data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Environment: Pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions are those stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. They include carbon dioxide produced during consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels and gas flaring.; ; Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, United States.; Gap-filled total;

Based on a business-as-usual trend, global carbon dioxide emissions are forecast to increase to some ***** billion metric tons in 2050, in comparison to **** billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018. Carbon dioxide emissions reached its highest level in 2018 due to a strong economy and extreme weather conditions. Summers with heatwaves push air conditioning usage and harsher winters lead to more heating. A booming economy has a greater thirst for energy than one that is struggling or even in recession. Energy-related emissions The energy sector is one of the largest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is one of the primary gases that are emitted through burning fossil fuels. However, other emissions like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates may also be emitted, especially through burning coal. New coal plants in Asia have also pushed the growth in energy-related emissions. China is one of the largest emitters of energy-related emissions in the world. Despite the country’s move towards renewable energy sources, coal-fueled power still dominates its energy market. Despite efforts to reduce fossil fuel combustion, energy demand has still increased over recent years.

Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions: Metric Tons per Capita data was reported at 1.943 Metric Ton in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.051 Metric Ton for 2019. Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions: Metric Tons per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 1.784 Metric Ton from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2020, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.515 Metric Ton in 2014 and a record low of 1.313 Metric Ton in 1990. Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions: Metric Tons per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Environmental: Gas Emissions and Air Pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions are those stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. They include carbon dioxide produced during consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels and gas flaring.;Emissions data are sourced from Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions (1990-2020). 2023. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions;Weighted average;

This data product is a time series of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement manufacture. Estimates of CO2 emissions are included for the globe and by nation back to 1751, and include emissions from solid fuel consumption, liquid fuel consumption, gas fuel consumption, cement production, and gas flaring. Per capita CO2 emissions and emissions from international trade (bunker fuels) are included as well; bunker fuels are not included in country totals, but are assigned to the country in which loading took place. Estimates are generated using the United Nations Energy Statistics database and the United States Geologic Survey’s cement statistics. Datasets produced from this group at Appalachian State University are located at https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/view/doi:10.15485/1712447, and are also located at https://energy.appstate.edu/research/work-areas/cdiac-appstate. Historic CDIAC data from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are located here: https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/view/doi:10.3334/CDIAC/00001_V2017. This dataset is the foundational dataset for the annual global carbon budget and other carbon cycle analyses that need relevant fossil fuel CO2 data. Within this data package are spreadsheets (.csv) of global and national estimates of CO2 emissions as well as text files of the ranking of each country’s total CO2 emissions and per capita for that year

Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions data was reported at 414,138.800 kt in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 434,318.000 kt for 2019. Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions data is updated yearly, averaging 331,689.100 kt from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2020, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 511,618.000 kt in 2014 and a record low of 197,897.400 kt in 1990. Brazil BR: CO2 Emissions data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Environmental: Gas Emissions and Air Pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions are those stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. They include carbon dioxide produced during consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels and gas flaring.;Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions (1990-2020). 2023. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions;Gap-filled total;

OverviewThis emissions layer is part of the forest carbon flux model described in Harris et al. (2021). This paper introduces a geospatial monitoring framework for estimating global forest carbon fluxes which can assist a variety of actors and organizations with tracking greenhouse gas fluxes from forests and in decreasing emissions or increasing removals by forests. Forest carbon emissions represent the greenhouse gas emissions arising from stand-replacing forest disturbances that occurred in each modeled year (megagrams CO2e emissions/ha, between 2001 and 2024). Emissions include all relevant ecosystem carbon pools (aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, dead wood, litter, soil organic carbon) and greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O). Emissions estimates for each pixel are calculated following IPCC Guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories where stand-replacing disturbance occurred, as mapped in the Global Forest Change annual tree cover loss data of Hansen et al. (2013). The carbon emitted from each pixel is based on carbon densities in 2000, with adjustment for carbon accumulated between 2000 and the year of disturbance.Emissions reflect a gross estimate, i.e., carbon removals from subsequent regrowth are not included. Instead, gross carbon removals resulting from subsequent regrowth after clearing are accounted for in the companion forest carbon removals layer. The fraction of carbon emitted from each pixel upon disturbance (emission factor) is affected by several factors, including the direct driver of disturbance, whether fire was observed in the year of or preceding the observed disturbance event, whether the disturbance occurred on peat, and more. All emissions are assumed to occur in the year of disturbance. Emissions can be assigned to a specific year using the Hansen tree cover loss data; separate rasters for emissions for each year are not available from GFW. All input layers were resampled to a common resolution of 0.00025 × 0.00025 degrees each to match Hansen et al. (2013).We have made several updates to the model since its original release. For documentation through the current version, please refer to this blog. For a more detailed description of the changes included through the 2023 tree cover loss launch (released spring 2024) and a comparison of the model's fluxes with those from the Global Carbon Budget and national greenhouse gas inventories, please refer to this article.Three variations of emissions rasters are available for download:megagrams CO2e emissions/ha in pixels with >30% tree cover density (TCD) in 2000 or tree cover gain: Used for visualizing (mapping) emissions according to the default GFW TCD threshold because it represents the density of emissions per hectare. You would use this if you want to only include emissions in pixels that are more conservatively defined as forest.megagrams CO2e emissions/pixel in pixels with >30% TCD in 2000 or tree cover gain: Used for calculating the emissions in an area of interest (AOI) according to the default GFW TCD threshold because the values of the pixels in the AOI can be summed to obtain the total emissions for that area. You would use this if you want to only include emissions in pixels that are more conservatively defined as forest.megagrams CO2e emissions/pixel in pixels with any amount of tree cover in 2000 or tree cover gain: Used for calculating the emissions in an area of interest (AOI) without any TCD threshold because the values of the pixels in the AOI can be summed to obtain the total emissions for that area. This would represent the total emissions from tree cover loss in the AOI without applying a TCD threshold. You would use this if you want to include emissions in pixels that have low (<30%) TCD in 2000.The values in the megagrams CO2e/pixel layers were calculated by adjusting the emissions per hectare by the size of each pixel, which varies by latitude. Tree cover density in 2000 is according to Hansen et al. (2013) and tree cover gain between 2000 to 2020 is according to Potapov et al. (2022)Related Open Data Portal layers: Forest Carbon Removals, Net Forest Carbon FluxGoogle Earth Engine: asset (megagrams CO2e emissions/ha in pixels with >30% TCD) and visualization scriptResolution: 30 x 30mGeographic Coverage: GlobalFrequency of Updates: AnnualDate of Content: 2001-2024CautionsData are the product of modeling and thus have an inherent degree of error and uncertainty. Users are strongly encouraged to read and fully comprehend the metadata and other available documentation prior to data use.Values are applicable to forest areas only (canopy cover >30 percent and >5 m height or areas with tree cover gain). See Harris et al. (2021) for further information on the forest definition used in the analysis.Although emissions in each pixel are associated with a specific year of disturbance, emissions over an area of interest reflect the total over the model period of 2001-2024. Thus, values must be divided by 24 to calculate average annual emissions.Emissions reflect stand-replacing disturbances as observed in Landsat satellite imagery and do not include emissions from unobserved forest degradation.Emissions reflect a gross estimate, i.e., carbon removals from any regrowth that occurs after disturbance are not included. Instead, gross carbon removals are accounted for in the companion forest carbon removals layer.Emissions data contain temporal inconsistencies. Improvements in the detection of tree cover loss due to the incorporation of new satellite data and methodology changes between 2011 and 2015 may result in higher estimates of emissions in recent years compared to earlier years. Refer here for additional information.Forest carbon emissions do not reflect carbon transfers from ecosystem carbon pools to the harvested wood products (HWP) pool.This dataset has been updated since its original publication. See Overview for more information.

Data Access Notice

Please note that, at present, the data for a sample of years are provided in this data record due to Zenodo's 50GB data limit. Data for all years 1959-2021 can be accessed via the following link:

http://opendap.uea.ac.uk:8080/opendap/hyrax/greenocean/GridFED/GridFEDv2022.2/contents.html

Product Description

See Jones et al. (2021) for a detailed description of this dataset and the core methods used to produce it. Key details are provided below.

GCP-GridFED (version 2022.2) is a gridded fossil emissions dataset that is consistent with the national CO₂ emissions reported by the Global Carbon Project (GCP; https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/) in the annual editions of its Global Carbon Budget (Friedlingstein et al., 2022).

GCP-GridFEDv2022.2 provides monthly fossil CO₂ emissions for the period 1959-2021 at a spatial resolution of 0.1° × 0.1°. The gridded emissions estimates are provided separately for fossil CO₂ emitted by the oxidation of oil, coal and natural gas, international bunkers, and the calcination of limestone during cement production. The dataset also includes the cement carbonation sink of CO₂. Note that positive values in GridFED signify a surface-to-atmosphere CO₂ flux (emissions). Negative values signify an atmosphere-to-surface flux and apply only to the cement carbonation sink.

GCP-GridFED also includes gridded uncertainties in CO₂ emission, incorporating differences in uncertainty across emissions sectors and countries, and gridded estimates of corresponding O₂ uptake based on oxidative ratios for oil, coal and natural gas (see Jones et al., 2021).

Core Methodology in Brief

GCP-GridFEDv2022.2 was produced by scaling monthly gridded emissions for the year 2010, from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR v4.3.2; Janssens-Maenhout et al., 2019), to the national annual emissions estimates compiled as part of the 2022 global carbon budget (GCP-NAE) for the years 1959-2021 (Friedlingstein et al., in preparation [Earth System Science Data]), an update from the 2021 edition of the Global Carbon Budget (Friedlingstein et al., 2022).

GCP-GridFEDv2022.2 uses a preliminary release of GCP-NAE covering the years 1959-2021 (timestamp 18th July 2021; and update from Andrew and Peters [2021]). The GCP-NAE estimates for year 2021 are based on data available at the timestamp and the estimates are thus expected to differ somewhat from those that will be presented by Friedlingstein et al. (in preparation [Earth System Science Data]), which will adopt updates to GCP-NAE since the timestamp.

For full details of the core methodology, see Jones et al. (2021).

Changes to the Seasonality of Emissions in GCP-GridFEDv2022.2

The seasonality of emissions (monthly distribution of annual emissions) for the following countries/sources is now based on the seasonality observed in the Carbon Monitor dataset (Liu et al., 2020; Dou et al., 2022):

• Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States.
• State or province-level data is used for Brazil, China, Russia, and the United States.
• This also applies for the Bunker Aviation and Bunker Shipping sectors.

Seasonality is determined in the following ways for those countries/sources:

• The seasonality of emissions in 2019-2021 is taken from Carbon Monitor.
• The seasonality of emissions in all years prior to 2019 is assigned as the average of the seasonality from Carbon Monitor in all years excluding 2020 (due to the impact of COVID-19 on the seasonality of emissions in 2020).

For all countries not listed above and all years 1959-2021, GCP-GridFED adopts the seasonality from EDGAR v4.3.2 (year 2010; Janssens-Maenhout et al., 2019) and applies a small correction based on heating/cooling degree days to account for inter-annual climate variability which effects emissions in some sectors (see Jones et al., 2021).

Other New Features of GCP-GridFEDv2022.2

• Emissions of CO₂ from international shipping and bunker sources are now provided separately.
• The sink of CO₂ arising from the carbonation of cement is also included. Values are negative as this is an atmosphere-to-surface flux.
• A total surface flux of fossil CO₂ is now provided.

Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Transport data was reported at 1,710.645 Tonne mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,699.428 Tonne mn for 2022. Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Transport data is updated yearly, averaging 1,557.475 Tonne mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,807.722 Tonne mn in 2005 and a record low of 1,039.783 Tonne mn in 1970. Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Transport data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by European Commission’s Directorate-General for Joint Research Centre. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.DG JRC.EDGAR: Environmental: Greenhouse Gas Emissions: CO2 Emissions: Annual.

Publications containing historical energy statistics make it possible to estimate fossil fuel CO2 emissions back to 1751. Etemad et al. (1991) published a summary compilation that tabulates coal, brown coal, peat, and crude oil production by nation and year. Footnotes in the Etemad et al.(1991) publication extend the energy statistics time series back to 1751. Summary compilations of fossil fuel trade were published by Mitchell (1983, 1992, 1993, 1995). Mitchell's work tabulates solid and liquid fuel imports and exports by nation and year. These pre-1950 production and trade data were digitized and CO2 emission calculations were made following the procedures discussed in Marland and Rotty (1984) and Boden et al. (1995). Further details on the contents and processing of the historical energy statistics are provided in Andres et al. (1999). The 1950 to present CO2 emission estimates are derived primarily from energy statistics published by the United Nations (2017), using the methods of Marland and Rotty (1984). The energy statistics were compiled primarily from annual questionnaires distributed by the U.N. Statistical Office and supplemented by official national statistical publications. As stated in the introduction of the Statistical Yearbook, "in a few cases, official sources are supplemented by other sources and estimates, where these have been subjected to professional scrutiny and debate and are consistent with other independent sources." Data from the U.S. Department of Interior's Geological Survey (USGS 2017) were used to estimate CO2 emitted during cement production. Values for emissions from gas flaring were derived primarily from U.N. data but were supplemented with data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (1994), Rotty (1974), and data provided by G. Marland. Greater details about these methods are provided in Marland and Rotty (1984), Boden et al. (1995), and Andres et al. (1999).For access to the data files, click this link to the CDIAC data transition website: http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/emis/overview_2014.html

Tunisia TN: CO2 Emissions data was reported at 28,829.954 kt in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,667.515 kt for 2013. Tunisia TN: CO2 Emissions data is updated yearly, averaging 12,064.430 kt from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,829.954 kt in 2014 and a record low of 1,727.157 kt in 1960. Tunisia TN: CO2 Emissions data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Tunisia – Table TN.World Bank.WDI: Environment: Pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions are those stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. They include carbon dioxide produced during consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels and gas flaring.; ; Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, United States.; Gap-filled total;

Africa accounted for *** percent of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels and industry in 2021. In the last two decades, the continent's contribution to the global greenhouse gas emissions fluctuated between *** percent and *** percent - the smallest share among all world's regions.

Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Agriculture data was reported at 5.892 Tonne mn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.913 Tonne mn for 2022. Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Agriculture data is updated yearly, averaging 3.532 Tonne mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.157 Tonne mn in 2018 and a record low of 0.578 Tonne mn in 1973. Total CO2 Emissions: Tonnes of CO2 Equivalent per Year: Agriculture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by European Commission’s Directorate-General for Joint Research Centre. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Indonesia – Table ID.DG JRC.EDGAR: Environmental: Greenhouse Gas Emissions: CO2 Emissions: Annual.

Global carbon dioxide emissions for 1950 through 1982 were estimated by Marland and Rotty (1984) from fuel production data from the U.N. Energy Statistics Yearbook (1983, 1984). Data before 1950 came from Keeling (1973). Fuel-production data were used in these calculations because they appeared to be more reliable on a global basis than fuel-consumption data. The data given are the year and annual global CO2 emissions (annual global total; cumulative global total since 1860; and annual global emissions from solid fuels, liquid fuels, natural gas, gas flaring, and cement manufacturing). These data provide the only pre-1950 estimates of the amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere from fossil-fuel burning. The CO2 emission record since 1950 has been updated and revised several times with the most recent estimates being published by Marland et al. (1989). For access to the data files, click this link to the CDIAC data transition website: http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/ndps/ndp006.html

Data supplement for Friedlingstein et al.: Global Carbon Budget 2024, Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-519, in review, 2024. Further information is available on: http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget. This file National_Carbon_Emissions_2024v1.0.xlsx includes the following: 1. Summary 2. Territorial emissions 3. Consumption emissions 4. Emissions transfers 5. Regions. The Global Carbon Project (2024). Supplemental data of the Global Carbon Project 2024: National Fossil Carbon Emissions 2024 v1.0, 1850–2023, GCP, https://hdl.handle.net/11676/mNRkixV0ZZViLvv5ADVGQCtx

Trends of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide measurements from the Mauna Loa Baseline Observatory, Hawaii, United States.

This database contains estimates of the annual mean global value of delta 13C of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel consumption and cement manufacture for 1751-2014. These estimates of the carbon isotopic signature account for the changing mix of coal, petroleum, and natural gas being consumed and for the changing mix of petroleum from various producing areas with characteristic isotopic signatures. This time series of fossil-fuel delta 13C signature provides an additional constraint for balancing the sources and sinks of the global carbon cycle and complements the atmospheric delta 13C measurements that are used to partition the uptake of fossil carbon emissions among the ocean, atmosphere, and terrestrial biosphere reservoirs.

The global power industry was by far the biggest contributor to global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2023, accounting for roughly ** percent. The transportation sector was responsible for the second-largest share of global CO₂ emissions that year, at just over ** percent. Growth of global power sector emissions Global power sector CO₂ emissions increased by *** percent in 2023 from the previous year. Emissions from the sector have risen by roughly ** percent since the turn of the century and now average more than ** billion metric tons (GtCO₂e) per year. Who is the largest power sector emitter? As the world’s largest electricity consumer, China is also the biggest contributor to global power sector emissions by far. In 2023, China produced more than *** GtCO₂ from electricity generation - the majority of which was produced by coal-fired power plants. That year, coal power accounted for more than one-third of global electricity generation.