Cumulative CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion worldwide 1750-2020, by country

The United States has emitted more than 400 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the birth of the industrial revolution. This makes the U.S. the biggest contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions by far, having produced almost twice the amount of emissions as the second biggest emitter, China. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and the main driver of climate change and rising temperatures.

Regional emissions

Up until the early 20th century, Europe was responsible for the majority of regional CO2 emissions, especially the United Kingdom where industrialization first spread from. It wasn’t until the mid-1850’s that the United States began to make its mark on emission levels as the country began to grow into a major superpower. At the turn of the millennium a shift began to occur when formerly less developed countries began to industrialize, especially China, which as of 2019 has been responsible for 13 percent of global cumulative CO2 emissions. The growth in China’s emissions has been driven by its coal consumption for energy, which is the dirtiest of fossil fuels.

Global emissions reach record high

Global emissions from fossil fuel combustion have increased massively over the past three centuries, though it is mainly since the twentieth century that emissions have surged. In recent years, annual emissions have been rising by approximately one percent a year, and in 2019 annual carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high. However, the impacts of COVID-19 saw record reductions in 2020.