Global anthropogenic fossil CO₂ emissions increased by 1.2% in 2017 compared to the previous year, reaching 37.1 gigatonnes (Gt) CO₂, according to the latest report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The report provides the CO₂ emissions trends for all countries across the globe from 1970 through 2017.

• In 2017, emissions in China increased by 0.9%. The 100 Mt increase corresponds approximately to the total CCO₂O2 emissions of Belgium in 2017 (104.221 Mt CO₂/year). China’s emission growth has been very strong since 2000, although they have stabilized since 2014. In 2017, China’s total CO₂ emissions amounted to 10.9 Gt—29.4% of the global total.

• In the US, emissions have been stable since 1990, but fell by 0.8% from 2016 to 2017, amounting to a total of 5.1 GT (13.7% of global total). This was mainly due to a 2.5% decrease in coal power and a 1.4% decrease in natural gas consumption.

• In the EU, strong economic performance resulted in a slight increase of CO₂ emissions (1.1%). This increase (38 megatonnes (Mt)) corresponds approximately to the total CO₂ emissions of Slovakia in 2017 (37.855 Mt CO2/year). In 2017, the EU’s CO2 emissions were 19.5% lower than in 1990, and 16.5% (or 3.5 GT) lower than in 2005. There have been strong reductions in the industry, power and buildings sectors, but an increase in the transport sector.

• Russia’s CO₂ emissions increased by 1.1% to a total of about 1.8 Gt in 2017.

Per capita emissions in the EU are now below those of China and half of those in the US. The CO₂ intensity of the EU economy is around one-third below the US and around two-thirds below China.