Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms

The Guardian - Just 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emissions that drove the climate crisis in 2024, down from 36 a year earlier, a report has revealed.

Critics accused the leading fossil fuel companies of “sabotaging climate action” and “being on the wrong side of history” but said the emissions data was increasingly being used to hold the companies accountable.

State-owned fossil fuel producers made up 17 of the top 20 emitters in the Carbon Majors report, which the study’s authors said underscored the political barriers to tackling global heating.

How bad are the worst offenders? Saudi Aramco was responsible for 1.7bn tonnes of CO2, much of it from exported oil. If it were a country, Aramco would be the world’s fifth biggest carbon polluter, just behind Russia. ExxonMobil’s fossil fuel production led to 610m tonnes of CO2 – it would be the ninth biggest polluter, ahead of South Korea.