Global CO2 emissions from fossil sources reached 37.4 billion tons in 2024, 0.8% more than in 2023. This is the main conclusion of the Global Carbon Budget report, highlighted on the occasion of the World CO2 Emission Reduction Day, celebrated today.
Beyond the absolute data, where China continues to lead, it is important to review the per capita emissions ranking, as this data defines the impact of societies’ lifestyle on the environment and can make citizens reflect on their consumption habits. This is particularly relevant when countries with much fewer inhabitants than China have a significant carbon footprint per capita.
Today is celebrated the World CO2 Emission Reduction Day, an environmental commemoration sponsored by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness and encourage people around the world to contribute to environmental and planetary care by reducing their carbon footprint.
The awareness of the need to reduce global CO2 emissions has been on scientists’ radar for over 100 years. In 1896, a Swedish scientist named Svante Arrhenius first predicted that changes in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere could potentially alter the Earth’s surface temperature through the greenhouse effect.
When the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997, this plan marked a step in the right direction towards the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases from industrialized countries. However, it was not enough to reverse the trend. The Paris Agreement of 2015 legally committed 196 different countries to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a climate-neutral planet by mid-century.
Carbon, in Figures
The Global Carbon Budget report indicates that in 2024 emissions from different fossil fuels increased: coal (0.2%), oil (0.9%), and gas (2.4%), contributing 41%, 32%, and 21% of global CO2 emissions from fossil sources, respectively.
By countries, China’s emissions (32% of the global total) increased by 0.2%; United States’ emissions (13% of the global total) decreased by 0.6%; India’s emissions (8% of the global total) increased by 4.6%; and European Union’s emissions (7% of the global total) decreased by 3.8%. Overall, emissions in the rest of the world (38% of the total) increased by 1.1%.
Total Annual Emissions vs Per Capita Emissions
It is no surprise that in the top 10 of annual CO2 emissions, China (with over 11,900 million tons -Mt-) tops a ranking followed by the United States (4,911 Mt), India (3,062 Mt), Russia (1,815 Mt), Japan (988 Mt), Iran (817 Mt), Saudi Arabia (736 Mt), Indonesia (733 Mt), Germany (596 Mt), and South Korea (577 Mt).
Annual CO2 emissions[/caption>
Even more telling is the chart of emissions per capita, a data that defines the impact of societies’ lifestyle on the environment and can make people reflect on how they consume, especially when countries with far fewer inhabitants than China have a higher carbon footprint per capita.
In this ranking, we see how petrostates and Gulf countries, such as Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, top the per capita emissions ranking, with 39 tons (t), 23 t, 22 t, and 22 t, respectively. Figures that, on the other hand, were expected in economies based on oil and gas extraction that less than a century ago were fishing villages.
But here is where we start to see more striking figures:
Citizens of Australia (14 t), United States (14 t), Canada (14 t), Russia (12 t), South Korea (11 t), Iran (9 t), and the average inhabitant of the European Union (8.4 t) have a carbon footprint equal to or higher than the average Chinese (8.4 t).
CO2 emissions per capita by source 2023[/caption>
Evidently, the per capita emission figures of China reflect a country of nearly 1.5 billion people, so they are more evenly distributed. But the most important reflection from an environmental point of view is the cost of Western lifestyle which, being much less populated societies, have a greater environmental impact per capita.
A Day for Reflection
The International Day for the Reduction of CO2 Emissions aims to raise awareness of this fact and encourage people worldwide to contribute to environmental and planetary care by reducing their carbon footprint. To achieve this, society as a whole is invited to adopt new sustainable habits and consider ways to reduce our negative impact on Earth.
One of the most controllable contributors to CO2 emissions is the use of personal vehicles, especially if they are older models that are not environmentally friendly, so this day invites us to consider alternative ways to commute to work, travel, or shop. These changes may require some extra time or additional planning, but they are worth it for the sake of the planet.
Another way to contribute is to opt for renewable energies over fossil fuels. In fact, solar energy generated 11% of the EU’s electricity in 2024, surpassing coal for the first time, which fell below 10%, while wind (17%) produced more electricity than gas (16%) for the second consecutive year. These are the conclusions of the ‘European Electricity Review’, an analysis published by the Ember expert group, which attributes to Spain the highest solar growth in the EU, as solar energy provided 21% of national electricity in 2024, compared to 17%
