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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.