Global CO₂ emissions related to energy 1975-2023

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions increased 1.1 percent in 2023, rising to a new record high of 37.2 billion metric tons (GtCO₂). Since the turn of the century, global energy-related CO₂ emissions have risen by roughly 50 percent. 

Coal use drives emissions growth

Almost 70 percent of the increase in global energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2023 was from coal combustion emissions, with considerable growth observed in China and India. This increase was only partially offset by coal emissions reductions in advanced economies like the United States and the European Union. 

Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations

As global CO₂ emissions have increased over the decades, so, too, has the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. In 2023, the global average concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere hit a record high of 421 parts per million (ppm), which was roughly 50 percent above average pre-industrial levels.