Carbon Majors | Climate Ninja

Loading. Please wait.

This is designed for desktop; it’s not very practical on mobile. On mobile, go full screen (select in menu); rotation may help.

×

Select main variable:

Generation

Total Emissions (MtCO2e)

Optionally adjust:

Comparison period (1-32 years):
Absolute change (same unit as variable) Relative change (%)

Relative change can lead to extreme values if starting with a small value; the most extreme of these are not shown on bubble charts.

×

Select main variable:

Generation (terawatt-hour)
Capacity (gigawatt)

×

There is no data for this year + entity combination.

×

This parent entity is currently deactivated in bubble mode. Reactivate in display options.

×

The map does not recognise this region. Switch out of map mode to view data for this region.

×

Select image export format:

PNG
JPEG
PDF
SVG (will look closest to web page)
Chart width (pixels):
Chart height (pixels):

Image resolution is twice the chart dimensions specified above.

Export images must be used only in accordance with the wishes of the original data source (see ‘Notes and Source’ below chart) – this often means only for non-commercial purposes. Please also credit climateninja.org, and link to us, if relevant. Thanks.

For the data, download it directly from the original source.

Play chart as movie:

×

Bubbles

Show nation states?
Show state-owned companies?
Showing investor-owned companies?

Set bubble size range in pixels (0-100) **:

Min: Max:
Colour each bubble separately?
Name label for top ten bubbles?
Show non-selected bubbles?
Show value label on selected bubbles?

Horizontal Axes

Linear Logarithmic Auto linear/log

Legend

Show legend?

** Set both to same value to remove bubble size variable.

×

Series

Type: Line Area Column

Stack series?
Show point markers?

Legend

Move legend close to series?

Vertical Axis

Always include zero on vertical axis?
Always end vertical axis on tick?

×

Series

Type: Sunburst Treemap

When showing all sources and groupings of sources make a category with sub-categories the top level category by clicking it.

×

Adjust color axis extremes to recolour map:

Percentile:

To exclude extreme values (to allow less extreme values to be more easily distinguished), reduce the percentile; to include more extreme values, increase the percentile. The main variable ‘Capacity Factor’ uses fixed extremes so changes here are irrelevant.

×

Select categories:

Combined coal types
Separate coal types (more detail on coal)

When viewing as bubbles or time series, categories can be removed by clicking the legend.

×

Select generation type:

Fossil

Fossil
-Coal
-Gas + Other Fossil
–Gas
–Other Fossil

Clean

Clean
-Renewables
–Hydro, Bioenergy + Other Renewables
—Hydro
—Bioenergy
—Other Renewables
–Wind + Solar
—Wind
—Solar
-Nuclear

Total

Total

×

Select chart type:

Parent entity bubbles
Single parent entity time series (line/area/column)

2000

Notes and Source

Quick Start

The initial view shows bubbles, where each bubble represents a ‘carbon major’, meaning one of the largest emitting fossil fuel or cement producing parent entities (company or country) globally. If a ‘carbon major’ produces emissions from the product category shown up the vertical axis, a bubble is shown. NGL stands for Natural Gas Liquids.

Total emissions is the main variable along the horizontal axis, quoted in units of MtCO2e – million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (allowing estimates of, in this case, CO2 and methane to be combined despite different global warming potentials). This includes estimates of both emissions from combusting marketed fossil fuels (partial scope 3 emissions) and operational emissions from the production of fossil fuels and cement (partial scope 1 emissions, including where relevant, flaring, venting, fugitive emissions and emissions from own fuel use for fossil fuels, and limestone calcining emissions for cement). See the source for the methodological detail.

Bubble colour is 5-year absolute change in total emissions (green up, red down), bubble size is operational (partial scope 1) emissions. Note that the operational to total emissions ratio is fixed for a particular product, so the operational emissions figures tell you nothing about the operational emissions efficiency of parent entities.

Hover over a point to see its details (or select on a touch screen).

Zoom charts with horizontal axes by dragging horizontally on the chart pane (or separate two fingers on touch screens). On desktop, pan left and right when zoomed in using the shift key.

Configure the main variable, categories, chart type (which also include time series (line/bar/area)) and display options from the menu, top right. The display options include an ability to filter the bubbles by whether the parent entity is a nation state, state-owned or investor-owned.

Change year and select a parent entity using the controls below the chart.

Highlight and toggle visibility of categories using legend at top of chart.

Source

Visualisation by Climateninja.org.

Data from the Carbon Majors database, specifically the high granularity data file available from Carbon Majors Downloads, data released by source on 05/03/2025, data retrieved by us on 11/03/2025.

The data creation methodology is explained in detail at Carbon Majors Methodology.

Built using Highcharts – Interactive Charting Library for Developers.

Data updated: 03/25

Software updated: 03/25 to version 1

Historical Quick Start

The initial view shows three series:

1. The change in the observed 10-year average of the global average surface temperature, relative to that from 1850-1900 (proxy for the climate in pre-industrial times). Observed values are measured directly and fluctuate quite a lot each year due to natural processes (e.g. solar variation, volcanic eruptions, and El Niño oscillations). Averaging over 10 years reduces these fluctuations.

2. The component of the above that is calculated as human-induced; that is, the natural components are mathematically stripped out, leaving behind the warming caused by humans due to greenhouse gas emissions and other forcings (aerosol radiation interaction, aerosol-cloud interaction, black carbon on snow, contrails, ozone, stratospheric H₂O, and land use). Human-induced values change more predictably and smoothly each year than observed values.

3. The uncertainty in the human-induced warming. Note that the observed value has an uncertainty too (typically narrower), but this is not shown.

The human-induced 10-year average can be used to check progress against the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement – the lower 1.5°C goal is shown on the chart, as is an approximate breach year given the current trajectory of human-induced warming, as suggested by the source, see below. The Paris Agreement itself does not specify a method for deciding if certain levels have been reached.

By clicking on the legend you can enable the 1-year average equivalents of the series described above. These show what has happened recently with the climate, which is useful in its own right, though any single year’s observed warming is less useful as an indicator of long-term climate change. However, because human-induced warming is roughly linear, and assuming this continues, the 1-year and 10-year human-induced averages are similar as indicators of long-term climate change. Extrapolating either leads to a first breach of 1.5°C at roughly the same time in the early 2030s. The breach becomes more significant the longer it is sustained.

Note that the observed 1-year average data for 2024 is a rolling 12-month average produced before the end of 2024, hence is not directly comparable to all other data points.

The source, see below, explains all the above in more detail.

To see more clearly how the series are changing from year to year, select ‘Toggle change mode’ in the menu at the top right of the chart. Here you can also change to the temperature projection mode, which is described in the ‘Projection Quick Start’ section.

Graphs can be zoomed by dragging horizontally on the chart (or separate two fingers on touch screens). On desktop, pan left and right when zoomed in using the shift key.

Projection Quick Start

The initial view shows projected peak global 21st century warming versus pre-industrial levels (and uncertainty ranges) under various policy scenarios, using a 66% chance level.

The chance level specifies the chance of the temperature staying below a certain value. You can click on the legend to enable/disable the 50%, 66% and 90% levels.

As temperatures are still increasing at the end of the century under all scenarios, ‘peak 21st century warming’ is the same as ‘warming at end of century’.

The policy scenarios are described by the source as follows:

Current policies – this scenario projects global warming assuming all currently adopted and implemented policies as at November 2023 are realized and that no additional measures are undertaken. When extended beyond 2030, it assumes a continuation of efforts at a similar level of ambition.

Unconditional NDCs – this scenario projects global warming assuming full implementation of the most recent NDCs (Nationally Determined Contribution – official national climate plans that get submitted every 5 years under the Paris Agreement) that do not depend on explicit external support (cut-off date: September 2024). When extended beyond 2030, it assumes a continuation of efforts at a similar level of ambition.

Conditional NDCs – in addition to the unconditional NDCs, this scenario encompasses the most recent NDC targets for which implementation is contingent on
receiving international support, such as finance, technology transfer and/or capacity-building (cut-off date: September 2024). When extended beyond 2030, it assumes a continuation of efforts at a similar level of ambition.

Conditional NDCs + all net-zero pledges – this is the most optimistic scenario included. It assumes the achievement of the conditional NDC scenario until 2030 and all net-zero or other long-term low emissions development strategy (LT-LEDS) pledges (cut-off date: July 2024) thereafter.

Source

Visualisation by Climateninja.org.

Historical Source

The Data and some of the ‘Historical Quick Start’ description is taken directly from: Human-Induced and Observed Global Warming: Insights, Data, Charts: ClimateChangeTracker.org

The estimated 1.5C breach year is taken from: Current Trajectory Year Reaching 1.5°C Warming: Insights, Data, Charts: ClimateChangeTracker.org.

Both accessed 10/2024.

The data source for the above pages is:

Indicators of Global Climate Change 2023: annual update of key indicators of the state of the climate system and human influence, Piers M. Forster et al.
Credits: Smith, C., Walsh, T., Gillett, N., Hall, B., Hauser, M., Krummel, P., Lamb, W., Lamboll, R., Lan, X., Muhle, J., Palmer, M., Ribes, A., Schumacher, D., Seneviratne, S., Trewin, B., von Schuckmann, K., & Forster, P. (2024). ClimateIndicator/data: Indicators of Global Climate Change 2023 revision (v2024.05.29a) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8000192

To read the scientific detail about the generation of the above data see: ESSD – Indicators of Global Climate Change 2023: annual update of key indicators of the state of the climate system and human influence

Projection Source

Figure 4.2 on page 34 of:

United Nations Environment Programme (2024). Emissions Gap Report 2024: No more hot air … please! With a massive gap between rhetoric and reality, countries draft new climate commitments. Nairobi. https://doi.org/10.59117/20.500.11822/46404.