Map Projection

Robinson

Map Description

Total emissions of carbon dioxide, excluding land-use, represents the mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during the combustion of fossil fuels, as well as from gas flaring and the manufacture of cement.

Roughly 75% of global CO2 emissions are from the burning of fossil fuels and cement manufacturing. These emissions, together with CO2 from land-use changes and the emissions of five non-CO2 gases--methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)--constitute the main sources contributing to climate change.

CO2 emissions data were compiled by WRI in its Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) from several sources: the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Here, data covering the past few decades are mostly from IEA; however 53 countries' emissions are reported using CDIAC data, and one country's emissions are reported using EIA data. Comparability can be endangered when data points from different sources, using different methodologies, are placed side-by-side. However, most countries using CDIAC data are relatively small emitters, together constituting about 0.2 percent of global emissions.