Charted: The World’s Carbon Emissions from Energy Production

Carbon Emissions From Energy Production in 2023

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The energy sector contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector. These emissions largely derive from the consumption of fossil fuels, like oil and coal, for energy.

This graphic visualizes the global breakdown of carbon emissions from the energy sector by region in 2023, with the top 10 highest-emitting countries also visualized. Total emissions are represented in millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) with the year-over-year change from 2022 to 2023 shown with the shading of each segment.

The emission figures include emissions from energy production, flaring, industrial processes, and the transportation and distribution of fossil fuels, and come from the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2024 report.

China Produces the Most CO₂ From Energy Sector

In 2023, China accounted for almost one-third (31%) of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions from energy production at 12.6 billion tonnes—more than the total emissions of the entire Western Hemisphere and Europe combined.

Rank	Country	Energy emissions (MT CO₂e) in 2023	Share	YoY Change
1	China	12,603.5	31.2%	+6.0%
2	U.S.	5,130.1	12.7%	-2.7%
3	India	3,121.5	7.7%	+9.0%
4	Russian Federation	2,176.1	5.4%	+0.5%
5	Japan	1,038.6	2.6%	-6.3%
6	Iran	937.0	2.3%	+1.0%
7	Indonesia	861.5	2.1%	+1.1%
8	Saudi Arabia	725.9	1.8%	+0.7%
9	Canada	599.4	1.5%	+0.4%
10	South Korea	594.2	1.5%	-3.6%

China’s large population and its continued dependence on coal and oil for its main energy source are the primary factors behind its high emission levels. While the country is investing heavily into its renewable energy capacity, it still saw a 6% increase in energy-related carbon emissions from 2022.

Carbon Emissions from the Energy Sector, by Region

On a regional basis, Asia Pacific saw a 3.4% increase in emissions, despite major economies like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan recording decreases in their emissions.

China, the United States, and India are not only the largest emitters when it comes to the energy sector, but also in overall emissions. According to the Global Carbon Atlas, these top three emitters accounted for over half of the world’s CO₂ in 2021.

India, the third-highest carbon emitting country, is investing heavily into its coal production, announcing plans to double its coal production to 1.57 billion tonnes by 2030. Coal made up 56% of the country’s primary energy consumption in exajoules in 2023.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that India’s share of global carbon emissions will rise to 10% by 2030.

The post Charted: The World’s Carbon Emissions from Energy Production appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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