The release of gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and others into the atmosphere is called “Emissions.” These gases profoundly affect the Earth’s climate, driving global warming and extreme weather. Human activities are the major source of these emissions, especially the burning of fossil fuels and manufacturing processes.

Carbon dioxide concentrations are rising mainly because of the fossil fuels people have been using for energy since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuels contain the carbon that plants removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis over millions of years. Burning them releases this carbon back to the atmosphere in just a few hundred years. This is why the CO2 levels show a sawtooth pattern of ups and downs.

In addition to this long-term trend, the short-term cycle of plant growth also contributes to a year-to-year variation in emissions. In spring, when plants in the Northern Hemisphere are growing quickly, they draw a lot of carbon from the air, and this contributes to lower CO2 levels than at other times of the year.

The map above shows the cumulative global CO2 emissions since 1751, split by country. You can explore this data by clicking on a country and then following the timeline at the bottom of the visualization. The world’s largest emitters, China and the United States, account for half of all global emissions. Their commitment to reduce their contributions is essential to meeting global targets. The countries in Africa and South America, however, have much smaller emissions. This is largely because their emissions are tied to economic development and improvements in living standards that are happening at a faster rate than in Europe or Asia.