Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increasing, despite a decline in emissions within the most industrialized nations, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan.
The global increase in GHG emissions is largely driven by emerging economies like China and India, where the demand for fossil fuels to power plants and transportation is intensifying.[1][2]
In the US, the EU, and Japan, GHG emissions have steadily declined over recent decades, but without achieving a rapid transition. Emissions have fallen from their century-long peak levels, yet they remain relatively high. In fact, these emissions have fallen by only 36% in the EU and 20% in the US from their respective peaks.[3][4] Meanwhile, Japan’s emission reductions were reversed after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, ultimately resulting in a modest 8% reduction by 2021 compared with 1990 levels.[5]
These reductions in the US, the EU, and Japan have not been sufficient to offset the increase in emissions across the rest of the world, nor have they succeeded in inspiring a coordinated global effort toward serious emission cuts.