Global CO2 Emissions: Energy and All-Gas Totals

The International Energy Agency's CO2 Emissions in 2023 report says global energy-related CO2 emissions grew by 1.1% in 2023, adding 410 million tonnes to reach a new high [1].

The wider EDGAR dataset, maintained by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, puts total global greenhouse gas emissions (all gases, excluding land use change) at 53.0 Gt CO2eq in 2023 [2]. That is 1.9% higher than 2022 and the highest level ever recorded by EDGAR [2].

EDGAR notes that global GHG emissions have grown steadily since the beginning of the 21st century, with only two significant exceptions: 2009 (the global financial crisis) and 2020 (COVID-19) [2]. The 2023 increase was largely driven by fossil CO2 emissions from China, India and other emerging economies [2].

The IEA's 410 Mt figure covers only energy-related CO2 emissions - fuel combustion and some industrial processes [1]. The EDGAR 53.0 Gt figure is wider: it covers CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases, expressed on a CO2-equivalent basis, and excludes emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) [2]. Energy-related CO2 is the largest single component of total GHG emissions, but is not the whole picture [2].

Figures in this report come from two primary datasets. The IEA report CO2 Emissions in 2023 is the source for the +1.1% / +410 Mt energy-related CO2 figure [1]. The IEA-EDGAR CO2 dataset is derived from IEA Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy, as modified by the Joint Research Centre and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 [2]. The EDGAR 53.0 Gt figure uses CO2-equivalent weights based on IPCC AR6 global warming potentials and excludes LULUCF. All values are for 2023. 'CO2eq' means CO2-equivalent.