China is the largest methane (CH4) emitter in history, having released the equivalent of 97 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO₂e) since 1850. The countries that currently make up the European Union (EU-27) ranked second, followed by the United States and India. As of 2022, these four major economies had released more than 300 GtCO₂e from fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes since 1850. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP) 28 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
In 2021, the United States and the European Union announced the Global Methane Pledge. More than 100 countries have joined the pledge, committing to reduce global methane emissions by 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030.
Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022
(in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent)
Figures were calculated by Statista according to the values provided by the source.
Includes methane emissions from fossil fuels, industry and agricultural sources.
Methane emissions are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), so are weighted for its 100-year global warming potential value.
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Statista. (April 8, 2024). Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/
Statista. "Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent)." Chart. April 8, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/
Statista. (2024). Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/
Statista. "Cumulative Methane (Ch4) Emissions in Selected Countries Worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in Billion Metric Tons of Co₂ Equivalent)." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/
Statista, Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Cumulative methane (CH4) emissions in selected countries worldwide from 1850 to 2022 (in billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent) [Graph], Statista, April 8, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1382969/cumulative-methane-emissions-by-country/
