Visualizing 170 Years of Cumulative GHG Emissions

Visualizing 170 Years of Cumulative GHG Emissions

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In this graphic, we provide a unique perspective on global climate emissions by visualizing cumulative GHG emissions by region, from 1850 to 2022.

All figures were sourced from Climate Watch (PIK PRIMAP-hist dataset), and are represented in gigatons of CO₂ equivalent. One gigaton is equal to one billion metric tons.

Data and Key Takeaways

The numbers we used to create this graphic are listed in the table below. All figures in GtCO₂e.

Note that these totals are based on the Kyoto Protocol categories of GHG emissions: CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF₆. This data also excludes emissions from “land use change and forestry”.

YearEast Asia
& PacificEurope
& Central AsiaLatin America
& CaribbeanMiddle East
& North AfricaNorth
AmericaSouth
AsiaSub-Saharan
Africa

1850318601522114623567

18516341,20310542302472134

18529501,81315863462710202

18531,2662,43521384629949270

18541,5813,1022681058021,190339

18551,8963,7693241279851,432408

18562,2094,4593801481,1721,675477

18572,5225,1524381701,3641,919547

18582,8335,8514961921,5592,164618

18593,1456,5675552141,7602,411689

18603,4567,3176152371,9672,660760

18613,7688,0926762592,1722,909832

18624,0798,8747372822,3823,159904

18634,3909,6767993042,6033,411977

18644,70110,5118623272,8293,6641,050

18655,01311,3779253503,0573,9181,124

18665,32512,2629893733,2884,1731,198

18675,63713,1681,0543973,5364,4281,272

18685,94914,0811,1204203,7964,6851,347

18696,26115,0191,1864444,0694,9431,423

18706,57315,9651,2534674,3515,2041,499

18716,88616,9471,3214924,6425,4651,575

18727,20317,9791,3905164,9635,7271,653

18737,52219,0461,4605415,3045,9911,731

18747,84520,0751,5325665,6456,2571,811

18758,17221,1701,6045925,9936,5251,892

18768,50122,2861,6786186,3436,7941,974

18778,83323,4071,7536456,7167,0652,057

18789,16924,5411,8296727,0917,3382,142

18799,50925,6991,9067007,5067,6122,227

18809,85226,9481,9847277,9557,8882,314

188110,19828,2222,0637568,4208,1662,401

188210,54629,5282,1457848,9178,4472,489

188310,89830,8832,2288139,4388,7302,577

188411,25432,2352,3128429,9789,0162,666

188511,61233,5932,39987210,5259,3042,755

188611,97434,9552,48690211,0929,5942,845

188712,34036,3522,57793211,6849,8872,936

188812,70837,8062,66996212,35810,1833,027

188913,08139,3082,76499312,98710,4813,119

189013,45840,8582,8621,02513,70010,7843,212

189113,84142,4522,9611,05614,44611,0873,306

189214,22744,0363,0641,08815,22011,3923,401

189314,61745,5993,1681,12116,00311,6973,498

189415,01347,2543,2751,15316,75312,0053,597

189515,41548,9463,3851,18617,56812,3143,697

189615,82150,6953,4971,21918,38612,6253,799

189716,23252,5103,6111,25319,23012,9373,902

189816,65154,3733,7281,28720,12813,2524,007

189917,07456,3283,8481,32121,12413,5694,113

190017,50958,3583,9701,35522,16713,8894,216

190117,95460,3814,1011,39023,28514,2104,321

190218,40462,4104,2361,42424,45614,5324,430

190318,86364,5014,3761,46025,77914,8544,542

190419,33166,6284,5221,49527,09915,1774,655

190519,80668,7984,6721,53128,54115,5014,771

190620,30971,0274,8301,56730,04615,8274,889

190720,82173,4404,9931,60331,76216,1555,009

190821,35075,8905,1641,63933,30916,4875,131

190921,87878,3475,3371,67634,98516,8175,256

191022,41580,8365,5191,71336,78717,1455,384

191122,97583,3665,7111,75038,59017,4765,514

191223,52585,9725,9091,78940,50017,8135,647

191324,09088,7426,1151,82842,54418,1545,785

191424,67391,2856,3201,86844,43618,4965,924

191525,25493,7346,5331,90946,38118,8406,067

191625,84896,2606,7521,95248,52219,1866,216

191726,46098,7296,9811,99650,85319,5366,369

191827,087101,0257,2212,04253,27919,8906,524

191927,730103,0897,4772,08955,38120,2516,683

192028,384105,3767,7702,13857,79220,6026,848

192129,030107,5148,0792,18959,83920,9597,015

192229,691109,8478,3962,24361,88521,3197,181

192330,372112,1308,7122,30164,48721,6847,355

192431,071114,6679,0372,36166,84222,0557,534

192531,778117,1929,3632,42369,27522,4287,718

192632,487119,4799,6872,48671,88922,8067,907

192733,221122,21810,0122,55374,46123,1898,099

192833,966124,96110,3382,62277,00623,5738,293

192934,722127,88810,6752,69279,70723,9638,491

193035,473130,72311,0102,76582,15324,3578,688

193136,216133,43611,3422,83784,27924,7518,883

193236,964136,02511,6922,91386,14025,1469,076

193337,740138,67512,0552,99288,11025,5449,273

193438,547141,51812,4313,08290,19125,9529,475

193539,382144,47112,8223,18492,33126,3669,681

193640,254147,57313,2193,29194,74026,7839,893

193741,147150,87513,6393,40897,24727,21010,112

193842,052154,18714,0643,52799,42627,64710,337

193942,991157,57214,4823,677101,79528,08710,567

194043,989161,09214,9113,812104,41928,53410,803

194145,030164,51015,3573,931107,25728,98711,052

194246,058167,79315,8084,078110,30829,44411,322

194347,096171,18616,2714,237113,46829,89511,613

194448,121174,32516,7604,426116,85230,35311,936

194549,015176,72817,2664,666120,15830,82012,286

194649,868179,66717,8565,004123,39531,28812,664

194750,769182,98418,4135,351126,93031,75313,067

194851,704186,52018,9925,654130,62432,21913,495

194952,728190,31919,5795,978133,84532,69313,948

195053,792194,31520,1906,182137,48733,18114,422

195154,933198,64620,8376,392141,24033,67914,911

195256,144203,11921,5096,592144,93134,18815,413

195357,402207,72622,1966,800148,71434,70215,916

195458,730212,60022,9087,026152,38335,22516,424

195560,134217,85823,6987,267156,35735,76116,945

195661,618223,44424,5137,520160,52536,30717,474

195763,204229,27125,3697,799164,68536,87318,010

195865,141235,20326,1828,106168,78637,45018,556

195967,355241,28127,0948,423173,01238,04019,108

196069,721247,66628,0068,807177,35838,65119,677

196171,900254,26828,9279,219181,72539,27320,277

196273,998261,20229,8599,653186,27739,91420,892

196376,163268,54630,82510,119191,04640,57221,520

196478,435276,18331,82910,582196,04641,23322,176

196580,844284,06732,87411,073201,26541,91122,865

196683,395292,20233,94811,688206,72242,60323,571

196785,975300,52135,07512,242212,40643,30224,307

196888,727309,14036,24512,894218,30544,02725,038

196991,759318,14137,46413,662224,46944,76225,792

197095,258327,44038,72114,483230,94145,52026,640

197198,969336,95439,99915,373237,42346,29127,425

1972102,829346,79841,32116,327244,17647,07528,238

1973106,866357,06842,69217,440251,19847,87629,098

1974110,937367,37444,13318,538258,03548,69329,939

1975115,181377,71645,60619,603264,63449,54930,791

1976119,555388,52147,13020,778271,47450,42431,655

1977124,162399,39248,68621,981278,45451,32932,564

1978128,966410,52450,33723,194285,60452,25433,473

1979133,923421,88452,02124,496292,83353,20634,480

1980138,904433,22353,77825,733299,85154,17935,492

1981143,853444,25455,55826,809306,66855,19836,487

1982148,944455,16957,34527,822313,12356,23837,532

1983154,179466,11259,07828,851319,58857,33338,571

1984159,721477,17960,82429,947326,27658,45639,613

1985165,459488,62362,60331,094332,95259,63440,670

1986171,365500,12164,41932,300339,56760,86541,736

1987177,530511,65066,29633,542346,41862,13242,845

1988184,071523,29168,19934,877353,52363,47343,941

1989190,810534,91370,15136,299360,70964,88345,090

1990197,596546,16972,11237,725367,79266,33646,284

1991204,628557,01774,11039,504374,78867,84047,504

1992211,839567,05776,13241,074381,92169,39248,727

1993219,296576,68778,20842,752389,16670,98649,984

1994227,136585,80880,34244,438396,53172,64451,282

1995235,493594,85782,54246,113403,99374,37652,647

1996244,228603,94484,81147,835411,67776,20954,067

1997253,113612,80687,18049,569419,43778,10255,543

1998261,701621,61589,65651,390427,25380,03557,052

1999270,518630,26392,14053,306435,13282,06358,564

2000279,675638,95494,62755,370443,22584,14360,123

2001289,034647,73297,15157,482451,19986,22361,708

2002298,911656,48999,72159,628459,21888,32563,322

2003309,766665,400102,36161,946467,30690,49565,014

2004321,598674,361105,04264,436475,51792,74966,762

2005334,376683,330107,80067,049483,73395,08368,550

2006347,834692,429110,60969,786491,87297,52370,347

2007361,787701,515113,50672,525500,135100,08572,222

2008376,171710,524116,54775,434508,160102,78274,140

2009390,938718,903119,53378,442515,683105,66176,042

2010406,591727,530122,62381,574523,439108,56178,050

2011423,457736,127125,75884,740531,054111,58980,120

2012440,767744,700128,95988,104538,434114,73882,200

2013458,294753,108132,21491,507546,001117,97984,334

2014476,019761,337135,52295,063553,615121,35286,563

2015493,676769,564138,81998,727561,071124,94788,803

2016511,223777,815142,124102,435568,349128,72591,069

2017529,071786,165145,427106,249575,614132,68493,386

2018547,504794,541148,696110,129583,082136,78095,752

2019566,376802,686151,982114,014590,409140,94198,157

2020585,439810,394155,122117,801597,081144,945100,566

2021604,972818,442158,483121,771604,084149,254103,019

2022624,725826,261161,889125,887611,161153,693105,500

All figures in GtCO₂e

From this graphic, we can identify the three largest regional emitters as Europe & Central Asia, East Asia & Pacific, and North America. Together, they account for 79% of global cumulative GHG emissions since 1850. This is the equivalent of 2.06 million gigatons, or 2,060,000,000,000,000 metric tons of CO₂e.

The sharp uptrends of these three regions coincides with various factors, such as industrialization, population growth, and rising consumption.

When interpreting this data, it’s interesting to consider each region’s total population. For example, the North America region (U.S. and Canada) has a population of around 375 million people, which is far less than the 2.4 billion in East Asia & Pacific.

As the latter continues to become more developed, it’s likely to surpass Central Asia & Europe as well, given the very steep trajectory shown in this graphic.

Learn More About Global Emissions From Visual Capitalist

If you enjoyed this graphic, be sure to check out Ranked: Per Capita Carbon Emissions by Country.

The post Visualizing 170 Years of Cumulative GHG Emissions appeared first on Visual Capitalist.