Global greenhouse gas emissions

Total global greenhouse gas emissions

Key results

• Between 2005 and 2019, global GHG emissions increased by 23.6%, from 38 669 to 48 117 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂ eq)
• In 2019, the highest emitting country was China with 12 705 Mt CO₂ eq, or 26.4% of global GHG emissions. Since 2005, emissions from China increased by 74.8%
• Canada's emissions^{Footnote 1} in 2019 reached 737 Mt CO₂ eq, which made up 1.5% of global GHG emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions for the world and the top 10 emitting countries and regions, 2005 and 2019

How this indicator was calculated

Note: Greenhouse gas emissions for each country and region presented in this comparison were calculated by the World Resources Institute. For certain countries, including Canada, these values differ from the official estimates of greenhouse gas emissions submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more information, please consult the Caveats and limitation section.
Source: World Resources Institute (2022) Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

In 2019, Canada ranked as the 10th GHG emitting country/region. Canada's share of global emissions decreased from 1.8% in 2005 to 1.5% in 2019. Like that of other economically developed countries, Canada’s share is anticipated to continue to decline due to the expected rapid increase in emissions from economically developing and emerging countries, particularly China (+71.7% from 2005 to 2019), India (+71.3%), Brazil (+16.2%), and Indonesia (+37.9%).

On December 12, 2015, Canada and 194 other countries reached the Paris Agreement, an ambitious and balanced agreement to fight climate change. This new agreement strengthens the effort to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. Under the Agreement, Canada has committed to reduce its GHG emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. In 2022, the Government of Canada introduced Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, which aims to achieve 40-45% emissions reductions below 2005 levels by 2030.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reaching this goal implies large-scale changes in energy systems and potentially land use across the world. In addition, the efforts and associated costs needed to reach this goal will vary between countries, with the distribution of costs across countries potentially being different from the distribution of the actions themselves.^{Footnote 2} 

Canada is committed to implementing its strengthened climate plan to ensure Canada not only meets, but exceeds its 2030 emissions reduction goal, and beginning work so that Canada can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Global greenhouse gas emissions per capita

Global greenhouse gas emissions measured per capita are the amount of emissions an individual person emits in a particular country or region on average.

Key Results

• Between 2005 and 2019, global GHG emissions per capita increased 5%, from 6.0 to 6.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (t CO₂ eq)
• In 2019, Canada was the highest GHG emitting country per capita among the top 10 emitting countries with 19.6 t CO₂ eq
• Canada’s GHG emissions per capita has decreased 8.5% since 2005, from 21.42 t CO₂ eq to 19.6 t CO₂ eq

Greenhouse gas emissions per capita for the world and the top 10 emitting countries and regions, 2005 and 2019

How this indicator is calculated

Note: Greenhouse gas emissions for each country and region presented in this comparison were calculated by the World Resources Institute. For certain countries, including Canada, these values differ from the official estimates of greenhouse gas emissions submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more information, please consult the Caveats and limitations section.
Source: World Resources Institute (2022) Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Although Canada is ranked 10^th in the world for total GHG emissions, Canada has the highest GHG emission per capita rate from the top 10 emitting countries and regions. If Canada’s GHG emissions per year were shared equally per each person in Canada, each person would emit 19.6 t CO₂ eq per year – which is just over 3 times the global rate. That is the same amount of GHG emissions released as someone driving around the world in a gasoline-powered car twice per year (about 78 296 km total).^{Footnote 3}

About the indicator

What the indicator measures

The Global greenhouse gas emissions indicator reports global human emissions of GHGs for 2005 and 2019, both in total and per capita. Emissions from energy and non-energy related sources are included in this indicator, while emissions from land use, land use change, and forestry are excluded. The emissions of GHGs include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride.

Why this indicator is important

The indicator provides a global perspective on Canada's share of GHG emissions, both in total and per capita.

Related indicators

The Greenhouse gas emissions indicators report trends in total anthropogenic (human-made) GHG emissions at the national level, per person and per unit gross domestic product, by province and territory, and by economic sector.

The Greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities indicator reports GHG emissions from the largest GHG emitters in Canada (industrial and other types of facilities).

The Greenhouse gas emissions projections indicator provides an overview of Canada's projected GHG emissions up to 2030.

The Carbon dioxide emissions from a consumption perspective indicator shows the impact of Canada's consumption of goods and services, regardless of where they are produced, on the levels of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

The Land-based greenhouse gas emissions and removals indicator tracks exchanges of greenhouse gas emissions and removals between the atmosphere and Canada's managed lands.

Data sources and methods

Data sources

The emissions and emissions per capita data used to compile the Global greenhouse gas emissions indicator were retrieved from the Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions dataset developed by the World Resources Institute. The dataset is accessible through the Climate Watch GHG Emissions platform which presents data from various sources. It was previously published through the World Resources Institute's Climate Analysis Indicator Tool (CAIT). The data are based on the May 2022 version of the dataset.

Methods

The indicator is composed of the GHG emission totals for the world and the top 10 emitting countries/regions for 2005 and 2019 as retrieved from the World Resources Institute's Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions dataset. The dataset is available on the Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions platform.

Recent changes

The time coverage of the indicator has been modified and now presents data for 2005 and 2019. It previously presented data for 2005 and 2018.

Emissions from the European Union (27) for all years no longer includes emissions from United Kingdom.

Greenhouse gas emissions per capita at the global level and from the top 10 emitting regions for 2005 and 2019 have been added to the indicator.

Caveats and limitations

The emissions in the World Resources Institute's Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions dataset as of May 2022 may reflect revisions of data previously published by that organization. The emissions reported by the World Resources Institute are also slightly different from the emissions reported by member countries in their National Inventory Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Resources

References

International Energy Agency (2019) Fuel Economy in Major Car Markets: Technology and Policy Drivers, 2005-2017 (PDF; 6.5 MB). Retrieved May 30, 2022.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (2021) Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2019 (PDF; 3 MB). Retrieved May 30, 2022.

World Resources Institute (2022) Climate Watch Country Historical Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved on May 19, 2022.

Related information

Canada's action on climate change

Climate change

Greenhouse gas emissions: drivers and impacts

Greenhouse gas emissions