Cumulative CO2 Emissions, 1750 to 1945

Cumulative CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and industry, 1750–1945. By the mid-20th century, early industrial powers accounted for most cumulative emissions.

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Cumulative CO₂ reflects emissions from fossil fuels and industry over time (land-use change not included). Values are shown in gigatonnes of CO₂ (Gt CO₂), where 1 Gt = 1 billion tonnes (1,000,000,000).

Chart: Visualization by Nana Afua Yeboaa Brantuo, Ph.D. for the Black Writers and Journalists Workshop and The Baltimore Times.Source: Global Carbon Project (Global Carbon Budget 2025) via Our World in DataCreated with Datawrapper