The power industry is the largest contributor to global fossil carbon dioxide emissions by far. In 2023, power industry emissions increased by 1.6 percent to a record high of 14.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂). This accounted for roughly 38 percent of global CO₂ emissions.
Where are power sector emissions highest?
China is the world's biggest power sector emitter. In 2023, Chinese power plants, the majority of which are coal-fired, released 5.5 GtCO₂ into the atmosphere. China's power sector emissions have risen five-fold since 2000, owing to the country's rapid economic growth. In comparison, power sector emissions in the U.S. - the sector's biggest emitter at the turn of the century - have fallen by almost 30 percent since 2000.
Emissions from coal combustion
The power sector is a major source of emissions due to coal being the most used source for electricity generation worldwide. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels, and emits roughly twice as much CO₂ as natural gas when combusted. Coal-fired power accounts for almost 70 percent of global power sector emissions.
Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector
(in million metric tons of carbon dioxide)
Source did not provide a release date Figures have been rounded Power Industry - Power and heat generation plants (public & autoproducers) Industrial combustion - Combustion for industrial manufacturing and fuel production Industrial processes - Industrial processes (e.g. emissions from the production of cement, iron and steel, aluminum, chemicals, solvents, etc.) Buildings – Small scale non-industrial stationary combustion Transport – Mobile combustion (road & rail & ship & aviation) Fuel exploitation - Production, transformation, and refining of fuels Other sectors – agriculture & waste.
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EDGAR/JRC. (September 5, 2024). Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/
EDGAR/JRC. "Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide)." Chart. September 5, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/
EDGAR/JRC. (2024). Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/
EDGAR/JRC. "Global Fossil Carbon Dioxide Emissions from 1970 to 2023, by Sector (in Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide)." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 Sep 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/
EDGAR/JRC, Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/ (last visited October 31, 2024)
Global fossil carbon dioxide emissions from 1970 to 2023, by sector (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide) [Graph], EDGAR/JRC, September 5, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/276480/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-sector/