Which countries have contributed the most to historical CO₂ emissions?

When we emit carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere, most of it stays there for centuries or millennia. This means that CO₂ emitted even a century ago has contributed to the rising temperatures we see today.

In other words, how much the climate warms depends on how much cumulative CO₂ is emitted over time.

The chart shows the ten countries with the largest share of the world’s historical emissions, based on cumulative emissions from fossil fuels and industry since 1750.

The United States has contributed the most, accounting for almost one quarter. This is followed by China and Russia.

There are many other ways to understand contributions to climate change – explore data on annual, per capita, and trade-adjusted emissions →

‍