This article is a list of locations and entities by greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. the greenhouse gas emissions from companies, activities, and countries on Earth which cause climate change. The relevant greenhouse gases are mainly: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and the fluorinated gases [2] bromofluorocarbon, chlorofluorocarbon, hydrochlorofluorocarbon, [3] hydrofluorocarbon, [4] nitrogen trifluoride, [3] perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. [4]
The extraction and subsequent use of fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas, [5] as a fuel source, is the largest contributor to global warming. [6]
During June of 2023, with 12705 million tonnes CO2e produced, China is the largest emitter; United States is second with 6,001, India 3,394, EU (which is 27 countries) 3,383, Russia 2,476, Japan 1,166, Brazil 1,057, Indonesia 1,002, Iran 893, and Canada 736. [7]
This section uses data from [8] a climate accountability [9] report of Heede of the Carbon Accountability Institute, and van Der Vlugt and Griffin of the Carbon Disclosure Project. [8] While data of emissions "Direct operational" and indirectly caused from the companies surveyed were indicated by the CDP, requests for data which were ignored by companies and emissions resulting from the use of products originating with companies were included as estimates by the researchers. [8] The data used by the CDP scientists is a composite of quantities of emissions as described via the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard (GHGPCS): Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions (not including Scope 2) - these three being all the possible Scope-emission types. 1 is direct emissions sources from a companies owned or possessed resources, 3 is indirect sources subsequential from production activities; these are divided by GHGPCS into types: upstream and downstream, and 15 categories. [10] Scope 3 emissions are thought to be approximately 90% of the total from any company and result from the combustion of coal, and, or, oil, and, or, gas during the conversion of these into energy i.e. as fuel; which is categorized as a downstream. [8] The relevant tables below have a ranking of 20 industrial greenhouse gas emitters from 1988 to 2015 from the Carbon Majors Database (CDP) [11] report, [8] a 10 July 2017 [12] dataset of GtCO2e. [13]
The table below shows the total combined (cumulative) emissions as a percentage of all emissions. Oil and gas production data was obtained from annual reports from company websites and the SEC (2016). For some state owned enterprises, data was sourced from the ‘Oil & Gas Journal’ (1986-2016) or is estimated from national statistics (EIA 2017, BP 2016, and OPEC 2016):
Rank | Company | Country | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) | Saudi Arabia | 4.8% |
2 | Gazprom OAO | Russia | 4.2% |
3 | National Iranian Oil Co | Iran | 2.3% |
4 | ExxonMobil Corp | United States | 2.1% |
5 | Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) | Mexico | 2.0% |
6 | Shell plc | United Kingdom | 1.8% |
7 | BP PLC | United Kingdom | 1.7% |
8 | China National Petroleum Corp (PetroChina) | China | 1.6% |
9 | Chevron Corp | United States | 1.4% |
10 | Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) | Venezuela | 1.3% |
11 | Abu Dhabi National Oil Co | United Arab Emirates | 1.2% |
12 | Kuwait Petroleum Corp | Kuwait | 1.0% |
13 | Total SA | France | 1.0% |
14 | Sonatrach SPA | Algeria | 1.0% |
15 | ConocoPhillips | United States | 1.0% |
16 | Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) | Brazil | 0.8% |
17 | Nigerian National Petroleum Corp | Nigeria | 0.7% |
18 | Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) | Malaysia | 0.7% |
19 | Rosneft OAO | Russia | 0.7% |
20 | Lukoil OAO | Russia | 0.7% |
SUM | 32.0% |
The Guardian newspaper (England, Britain) [14] and Acciona [15] (bracketed); both citing CDP: [8]
Rank | Company | Country | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
1 | China (Coal) | China | 14.32% (14.3%) |
2 | Saudi Aramco | Saudi Arabia | 4.50% (4.5%) |
3 | Gazprom | Russia | 3.91% (3.9%) |
4 | National Iranian Oil Company | Iran | 2.28% (2.3%) |
5 | ExxonMobil | United States | 1.98% (2.0%) |
6 | Coal India | India | 1.87% (1.9%) |
7 | Petróleos Mexicanos | Mexico | 1.87% (1.9%) |
8 | Russia (Coal) | Russia | 1.86% (1.9%) |
9 | Shell | United Kingdom | 1.67% (1.7%) |
10 | China National Petroleum Corporation | China | 1.56% (1.6%) |
11 | BP | United Kingdom | 1.53% |
12 | Chevron Corporation | United States | 1.31% |
13 | PDVSA | Venezuela | 1.23% |
14 | Abu Dhabi National Oil Company | United Arab Emirates | 1.20% |
15 | Poland (Coal) | Poland | 1.16% |
16 | Peabody Energy | United States | 1.15% |
17 | Sonatrach | Algeria | 1.00% |
18 | Kuwait Petroleum Corporation | Kuwait | 1.00% |
19 | Total | France | 0.95% |
20 | BHP | Australia | 0.91% |
SUM | 47.2% |
Scope 3 emissions are thought to be approximately 90% of the total from any company (Scope 1) and result from fuel combustion. [8]
Pickup trucks were found to produce the most emissions in a group of vehicles including SUVs and cars, in a survey reported January 2022. [16] Excluding pickup trucks, the most polluting car type surveyed 2017 is the 2011 - 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee which creates 372 grams per kilometre from the exhaust pipe, the 2007 - 2014 Audi R8 creates 346, thirdly the Chevrolet Camaro 335, the tenth most polluting, the Porsche Macan creates 291. [17]
The World Health Organization considers that during 2018 approximately 3 billion people, which was more than 40% of the 2018 estimated global population, used polluting fuel sources in their residences. [18]
This part details most CO2 emissions for the year 2021 using Climate TRACE: [19]
Rank | Source | Emission (million tonnes) |
---|---|---|
1 | Permian Oil and Gas Field, Texas, United States | 208.61 |
2 | Urengoyskoye Russia | 152.0 |
3 | North of Quebec, Canada [19] logging operations [20] | 126.77 |
4 | Marcellus, United States, oil and gas field | 124.38 |
5 | Bovanenkovskoye, Russia, oil and gas field | 122.69 |
6 | South Pars, Iran, oil and gas field | 118.09 |
7 | Zapolyarnoye, Russia, oil and gas field | 105.41 |
8 | Permian New Mexico, United States, oil and gas field | 93.12 |
This section details production sites at single locations where the most pollution exists or existed in the recent past.
During March 2020, Secunda CTL, owned by Sasol, a synthetic fuel [21] and chemicals from coal [22] plant in Secunda, South Africa, was the producer of the single most emissions, at 56.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year. [21] The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) of the Government of South Africa determined Sasol has until 1 April 2025 to comply with the legal limits for emissions, [23] [24] as described by the Air Quality Act 2004:Part 3; 12; Category 3. [25] Sasol's pledge to reduce its emissions from the plant by 10% by 2030 was reported during November 2020, [26] during 2023 it was reported that this was amended to 30%. [27]
As of 2021 [update] the gas-fired power plant which emits the most was the Taichung Power Station in Taiwan, at 34.19 million tonnes CO2. [28] [19]
Sources of anthropogenic production are in the majority:
A carbon bomb, or climate bomb, [34] is any new extraction of hydrocarbons from underground whose potential greenhouse gas emissions exceed 1 billion tonnes of CO2 worldwide. In 2022, a study showed that there are 425 fossil fuel extraction projects (coal, oil and gas) with potential CO2 emissions of more than 1 billion tonnes worldwide. The potential emissions from these projects are twice the 1.5°C carbon budget of the Paris Agreement. According to these researchers, defusing carbon bombs should be a priority for climate change mitigation policy. [35]
According to the same study, the Global Energy Monitor and "Banking on Climate Chaos" associations, between 2016 and 2022, the main backers of these climate bombs are the American banks JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America. [36]
Between 2020 and 2022, at least twenty new "climate bombs" went into operation, reveals an international journalistic investigation. [37] [38] [36] In this survey, France's TotalEnergies is cited as the second most responsible group for fossil mega-fields, with a presence at 23 major hydrocarbon extraction sites. [39] In November 2023, China's China Energy will lead the ranking and Saudi Aramco of Saudi Arabia will be third. [40]
A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions from producing goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the hidden social costs of carbon emissions. They are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by essentially increasing the price of fossil fuels. This both decreases demand for goods and services that produce high emissions and incentivizes making them less carbon-intensive. When a fossil fuel such as coal, petroleum, or natural gas is burned, most or all of its carbon is converted to CO2. Greenhouse gas emissions cause climate change. This negative externality can be reduced by taxing carbon content at any point in the product cycle.
Climate change mitigation (or decarbonisation) is action to limit the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause climate change. Climate change mitigation actions include conserving energy and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources. Secondary mitigation strategies include changes to land use and removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Current climate change mitigation policies are insufficient as they would still result in global warming of about 2.7 °C by 2100, significantly above the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to below 2 °C.
A carbon footprint (or greenhouse gas footprint) is a calculated value or index that makes it possible to compare the total amount of greenhouse gases that an activity, product, company or country adds to the atmosphere. Carbon footprints are usually reported in tonnes of emissions (CO2-equivalent) per unit of comparison. Such units can be for example tonnes CO2-eq per year, per kilogram of protein for consumption, per kilometer travelled, per piece of clothing and so forth. A product's carbon footprint includes the emissions for the entire life cycle. These run from the production along the supply chain to its final consumption and disposal.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial installations is separated before it is released into the atmosphere, then transported to a long-term storage location. The CO2 is captured from a large point source, such as a natural gas processing plant and is typically stored in a deep geological formation. Around 80% of the CO2 captured annually is used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a process by which CO2 is injected into partially-depleted oil reservoirs in order to extract more oil and then is largely left underground. Since EOR utilizes the CO2 in addition to storing it, CCS is also known as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Secunda CTL is a synthetic fuel plant owned by Sasol at Secunda, Mpumalanga in South Africa. It uses coal liquefaction to produce petroleum-like synthetic crude oil from coal. The process used by Sasol is based on the Fischer–Tropsch process. It is the largest coal liquefaction plant and the largest single emitter of greenhouse gas in the world.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide, from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate change. The largest annual emissions are from China followed by the United States. The United States has higher emissions per capita. The main producers fueling the emissions globally are large oil and gas companies. Emissions from human activities have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 50% over pre-industrial levels. The growing levels of emissions have varied, but have been consistent among all greenhouse gases. Emissions in the 2010s averaged 56 billion tons a year, higher than any decade before. Total cumulative emissions from 1870 to 2022 were 703 GtC, of which 484±20 GtC from fossil fuels and industry, and 219±60 GtC from land use change. Land-use change, such as deforestation, caused about 31% of cumulative emissions over 1870–2022, coal 32%, oil 24%, and gas 10%.
The United States produced 5.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020, the second largest in the world after greenhouse gas emissions by China and among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person. In 2019 China is estimated to have emitted 27% of world GHG, followed by the United States with 11%, then India with 6.6%. In total the United States has emitted a quarter of world GHG, more than any other country. Annual emissions are over 15 tons per person and, amongst the top eight emitters, is the highest country by greenhouse gas emissions per person.
Carbon monitoring as part of greenhouse gas monitoring refers to tracking how much carbon dioxide or methane is produced by a particular activity at a particular time. For example, it may refer to tracking methane emissions from agriculture, or carbon dioxide emissions from land use changes, such as deforestation, or from burning fossil fuels, whether in a power plant, automobile, or other device. Because carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas emitted in the largest quantities, and methane is an even more potent greenhouse gas, monitoring carbon emissions is widely seen as crucial to any effort to reduce emissions and thereby slow climate change.
This article is intended to give an overview of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
Greenhouse gas emissions by Australia totalled 533 million tonnes CO2-equivalent based on greenhouse gas national inventory report data for 2019; representing per capita CO2e emissions of 21 tons, three times the global average. Coal was responsible for 30% of emissions. The national Greenhouse Gas Inventory estimates for the year to March 2021 were 494.2 million tonnes, which is 27.8 million tonnes, or 5.3%, lower than the previous year. It is 20.8% lower than in 2005. According to the government, the result reflects the decrease in transport emissions due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, reduced fugitive emissions, and reductions in emissions from electricity; however, there were increased greenhouse gas emissions from the land and agriculture sectors.
The environmental impact of the energy industry is significant, as energy and natural resource consumption are closely related. Producing, transporting, or consuming energy all have an environmental impact. Energy has been harnessed by human beings for millennia. Initially it was with the use of fire for light, heat, cooking and for safety, and its use can be traced back at least 1.9 million years. In recent years there has been a trend towards the increased commercialization of various renewable energy sources. Scientific consensus on some of the main human activities that contribute to global warming are considered to be increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, causing a warming effect, global changes to land surface, such as deforestation, for a warming effect, increasing concentrations of aerosols, mainly for a cooling effect.
As of 2011, South Africa produces in excess of 255 million tonnes of coal and consumes almost three-quarters of that domestically. As of 2018, South Africa was the seventh largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. The industry, as of 2015, employs about 80,000 workers, or .5% of total employment, down from a peak in 1981 of 135,000 workers. The coal industry is South Africa's largest contribution to the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
In 2021, net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United Kingdom (UK) were 427 million tonnes (Mt) carbon dioxide equivalent, 80% of which was carbon dioxide itself. Emissions increased by 5% in 2021 with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, primarily due to the extra road transport. The UK has over time emitted about 3% of the world total human caused CO2, with a current rate under 1%, although the population is less than 1%.
Climate change has far reaching impacts on the natural environment and people of Finland. Finland was among the top five greenhouse gas emitters in 2001, on a per capita basis. Emissions increased to 58.8 million tonnes in 2016. Finland needs to triple its current cuts to emissions in order to be carbon neutral by 2035. Finland relies on coal and peat for its energy, but plans to phase out coal by 2029. Finland has a target of carbon neutrality by the year 2035 without carbon credits. The policies include nature conservation, more investments in trains, changes in taxation and more sustainable wood burning. After 2035 Finland will be carbon negative, meaning soaking more carbon than emitting.
Increasing methane emissions are a major contributor to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, and are responsible for up to one-third of near-term global heating. During 2019, about 60% of methane released globally was from human activities, while natural sources contributed about 40%. Reducing methane emissions by capturing and utilizing the gas can produce simultaneous environmental and economic benefits.
Gas venting, more specifically known as natural-gas venting or methane venting, is the intentional and controlled release of gases containing alkane hydrocarbons - predominately methane - into Earth's atmosphere. It is a widely used method for disposal of unwanted gases which are produced during the extraction of coal and crude oil. Such gases may lack value when they are not recyclable into the production process, have no export route to consumer markets, or are surplus to near-term demand. In cases where the gases have value to the producer, substantial amounts may also be vented from the equipment used for gas collection, transport, and distribution.
Coal, cars and lorries vent more than a third of Turkey's five hundred million tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions. They are mostly carbon dioxide and part of the cause of climate change in Turkey. A quarter of the emissions are from electricity generation.
China's total greenhouse gas emissions are the world's highest, accounting for 35% of the world's total according to the International Energy Agency. The country's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are the 34th highest of any country, as of 2023.
Greenhouse gas emissionsbyRussia are mostly from fossil gas, oil and coal. Russia emits 2 or 3 billion tonnes CO2eq of greenhouse gases each year; about 4% of world emissions. Annual carbon dioxide emissions alone are about 12 tons per person, more than double the world average. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore air pollution in Russia, would have health benefits greater than the cost. The country is the world's biggest methane emitter, and 4 billion dollars worth of methane was estimated to leak in 2019/20.
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