In this Project Drawdown Briefing, James Geber explored how global greenhouse gas emissions are changing – for better and for worse – across countries, sectors, and time.
See below for key takeaways, resources, and downloadable graphics and charts.
Image
Credit: NASA
How the World's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Changing
Drawdown Briefings are exclusive offerings for members of the Drawdown Business Coalition and Drawdown Capital Coalition. To learn more about membership, please contact labs@drawdown.org
Key Takeaways
- We are emitting greenhouse gases at a rate that will lead to even more serious impacts of climate change within just a few years.
- Average per-capita emissions are nine times higher in high-income countries than in low-income countries. In spite of this, we know that income growth can decouple from greenhouse gas emissions: In many countries, per-person emissions have decreased while per-person incomes have grown.
- Globally, just three sectors generate 70% of all emissions: electricity production, agriculture and land use, and industry. Different countries have vastly different sectoral emissions profiles, so solutions portfolios differ across countries, too.
- Per-capita emissions are not distributed equally around the world. Examination of emissions “peaks” can reveal where solutions are needed, while emissions “valleys” may contain lessons for their successful implementation.
- High-resolution spatialized data sets, increasingly becoming more available, can pinpoint opportunities for intervention.
Resources
- Our World in Data (provides accessible and understandable data)
- Methane Source Finder (visualizes methane plumes)
- Carbon Mapper (locates, quantifies, and tracks methane and carbon dioxide point-source emissions)
- Climate TRACE (shows timely and accessible inventory of exactly where greenhouse gas emissions are coming from)
Learn more about Project Drawdown
Charts and Graphics
To download, click the chart or graphic you are interested in then right-click and save the image as a PNG or JPG to your computer. All charts and graphics are freely available to use as long as they are appropriately credited.
