Global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions stemming from fossil fuel use were very low prior to the Industrial Revolution of 1760-1840. With the subsequent increased use of fossil fuels to power machines, emissions rose to 6 billion tons of CO₂ per year globally by 1950. The amount had almost quadrupled by 1990, reaching a rate of over 22 billion tons per year.

This infographic, based on data from the World Meteorological Organization’s Global Carbon Project, shows that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, average global growth in fossil CO₂ emissions had slowed to 0.9% annually during the 2010s, reaching 36.7 gigatons of CO₂ added to the atmosphere in 2019. In 2020, global lockdowns led to the biggest decrease in CO₂ emissions ever seen in absolute terms. Global fossil CO₂ emissions decreased by 5.2% to 34.8 gigatons, mainly due to reduced activity in the aviation, surface transport, power generation and manufacturing sectors.

Source: World Meteorological Organization/World Resources Institute/International Energy Agency

Since then, emissions have approached pre-pandemic levels, reaching 36.2 gigatons added to the atmosphere in 2021.

Currently, the world emits over 34 billion tons of CO₂ each year. Since 1751, the world has emitted over 1.5 trillion tons of CO₂ cumulatively.