In more recent years we see more consistent year-on-year growth averaging around 2% – 3% per year, but still with significant variability. This was particularly true in the first half of the 20th century, where economic output was greatly impacted by key global events (we see large reductions around the World Wars, for example). Here you will see that there can be significant year-to-year variability, creating a ‘noisy’ time series. This measure allows us to see the rate at which emissions are changing – whether the growth in global emissions are slowing down or accelerating. For example, a change of 1.5% indicates that global emissions were 1.5% higher than the previous year. A negative figure indicates they were lower than the year before. This interactive chart shows the year-on-year growth rate in global CO 2 emissions.Ī positive figure in a given year indicates that emissions were higher than the previous year. All of the data and research featured in this video is contained in this article: below we look in detail at the many ways emissions are broken down.

We teamed up with the YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, to produce a video which explored these different metrics in detail: ‘Who is responsible for climate change? – Who needs to fix it?’. These metrics can tell very different stories.

This debate arises from the various ways in which emissions are compared: as annual emissions by country emissions per person historical contributions and whether they adjust for traded goods and services. But, how this responsibility is shared between regions, countries, and individuals has been an endless point of contention in international discussions. It’s widely recognised that to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the world needs to urgently reduce emissions. You can download our complete Our World in Data CO 2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions database.Ĭarbon dioxide emissions are the primary driver of global climate change.

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