Visualizing Changes in CO₂ Emissions Since 1900

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Visualizing Changes in CO₂ Emissions Since 1900
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Visualizing Changes in CO₂ Emissions Since 1900
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Visualizing CO₂ Emissions Since 1900
Leaders from all over the world are currently gathering at the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Egypt to discuss climate action, and to negotiate the commitments being made by countries to the global climate agenda.
This visualization based on data from the Global Carbon Project shows the changes in global fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from 1900 to 2020, putting the challenge of fighting climate change into perspective.
Cumulative CO₂ Emissions vs. Rate of Change
Global climate change is primarily caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas release large amounts of CO₂ when burned or used in industrial processes.
Before the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), emissions were very low. However, with the increased use of fossil fuels to power machines, emissions rose to 6 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year globally by 1950. The amount had almost quadrupled by 1990, reaching a rate of over 22 billion tonnes per year.
Currently, the world emits over 34 billion tonnes of CO₂ each year. Since 1751, the  world has emitted over 1.5 trillion tonnes of CO₂ cumulatively.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, average global growth in fossil CO₂ emissions had slowed to 0.9% annually during the 2010s, reaching 36.7 gigatons of CO₂ added to the atmosphere in 2019.
However, in 2020, global lockdowns led to the biggest decrease in CO₂ emissions ever seen in absolute terms. Global fossil CO₂ emissions decreased by 5.2% to 34.8 gigatons, mainly due to halts in aviation, surface transport, power generation, and manufacturing during the pandemic.
Since then, emissions have approached pre-pandemic levels, reaching 36.2 gigatons added to the atmosphere in 2021.
Biggest Emitters, by Country
Asia, led by China, is the largest emitter, with the continent accounting for more than half of global emissions.
Rank
???????? Australia
392,000
CO₂ emissions from developing economies already account for more than two-thirds of global emissions, while emissions from advanced economies are in a structural decline.
Coal Power Generation Set for Record Increase
To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, more than 130 countries have now set or are considering a target of reducing emissions to net zero by 2050.
Much of the slowdown in emissions growth in the 2010s was attributable to the substitution of coal—the fuel that contributes most to planet-warming emissions—with gas and renewables. In addition, during the previous COP26 held in Glasgow, 40 nations agreed to phase coal out of their energy mixes.
Despite that, in 2021, coal-fired electricity generation reached all-time highs globally and is set for a new record in 2022 as consumption surged in Europe to replace shortfalls in hydro, nuclear, and Russian natural gas .
As leaders meet in Egypt for the world’s largest gathering on climate action, it will be up to them to come up with a plan for making their environmental aspirations a reality.
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Energy Shift
The Next Generation of Uranium Deposits
Canada’s Athabasca Basin has the highest-grade uranium deposits in the world, with grades that are 10 to 100 times greater than the global average.
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The Next Generation of Uranium Deposits
Government policies are shifting in favor of nuclear energy as countries try to reduce carbon emissions.
Unlike coal, oil, or gas, nuclear power plants produce little to no CO2. As a result, nuclear is the second largest source of low-carbon electricity in the world, behind hydropower.
In this infographic from Skyharbour Resources , we look closely at the next generation of uranium deposits necessary to power up the nuclear sector.
The Uranium Supply Squeeze
Roughly 440 nuclear reactors operating worldwide generate around 10% of the world’s electricity annually.
In the United States, for example, nuclear energy provides 52% of carbon-free electricity, and in the European Union, it accounts for 43%. In three European countries, the share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix exceeds 50%.
Rank
Nuclear Share of Electricity Mix
#1
Germany ????????
11.3%
All of the world’s nuclear reactors are powered by uranium. They require approximately 67,500 tonnes of uranium annually. However, the uranium market has been in a growing deficit since 2015, with the widening demand-supply gap being filled by civil stockpiles and secondary sources.
The World Nuclear Association expects a 27% increase in demand between 2021 and 2030.
In addition, the recent energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led investors to the uranium market, betting on nuclear energy to shift away from fossil fuels. In this scenario, new uranium mines are expected to come online in the next decade to meet the demand.
The World’s Richest Uranium Region
Canada is the world’s second-largest producer of uranium, accounting for roughly 13% of total global output.
The country’s Athabasca Basin has the highest-grade uranium deposits in the world, with grades that are 10 to 100 times greater than the global average. The Northern area covers almost a quarter of Saskatchewan and a small portion of Alberta.
The region— sometimes described as the “ Persian Gulf of uranium ” — is home to Cameco’s Cigar Lake, the world’s richest uranium mine.
According to the Fraser Institute , Saskatchewan ranks #2 as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. The province appears only behind Western Australia regarding geologic attractiveness, government policy, and attitudes toward exploration investment.
In recent years, many uranium companies have made uranium discoveries in the basin, with Skyharbour Resources among them. The company holds an extensive portfolio of fifteen uranium exploration projects, ten of which are drill-ready, covering 450,000 hectares of mineral claims.
The U.S. Nuclear Future
While the Biden administration is urging lawmakers to pass a $4.3 billion plan to purchase enriched uranium from domestic producers, the country’s production is still considered small in scale.
For this reason, Athabasca Basin and companies like Skyharbour Resources are expected to play a key role in the U.S.’ nuclear future.
Skyharbour Resources is becoming an industry leader in high-grade Canadian uranium exploration needed for nuclear power and clean energy.
Raul Amoros
The World’s Top 10 Lithium Mining Companies
Battery demand for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and portable electronic devices is propelling lithium mining around the planet.
As a result, worldwide lithium production increased by 21% in 2021 compared to 2020 to approximately 100,000 metric tons.
The above infographic lists the world’s largest mining companies of the white metal by market capitalization.
Where Does Lithium Come From?
There are two primary sources to obtain lithium:
Brine: Lithium brine deposits are accumulations of saline groundwater enriched in dissolved lithium. Although abundant in nature, only select regions in the world contain brines, mostly in South America.
Mineral/Hard Rock: Lithium found in ‘hard rock’ is a part of minerals hosted in pegmatites, rock units formed when mineral-rich magma intrudes from magma chambers into the Earth’s crust. As the magma cools, water and other minerals become concentrated.
Lithium can also be extracted from lithium clays, but there’s still no commercial scale of production for this method of extraction.
Here’s a look at lithium resources and production by country:
Country
—
2,700,000
According to the U.S. Geological Survey , four mineral operations in Australia, two brine operations each in Argentina and Chile, and two brine and one mineral operation in China accounted for the majority of global lithium production in 2021.
The Largest Lithium Miners
The world’s largest lithium producer, Albemarle Corporation, operates at the Chilean resource of Salar de Atacama in partnership with the second biggest producer, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM). Salar de Atacama is home to almost a quarter of the world’s current supply of lithium and has been in operation since the 1980s.
Albemarle also has assets in Nevada, U.S., and Australia. Its Clayton Valley operation is the only source of lithium production in the United States.
Rank
Lithium Americas
4.2
While Australia and Chile account for the majority of lithium supply, China has more than half of all capacity for refining it into specialized battery chemicals.
As part of the country’s efforts to dominate the clean energy metals supply chain, three Chinese companies are also among the top lithium mining companies. The biggest, Tianqi Lithium, has a significant stake in Greenbushes, the world’s biggest hard-rock lithium mine in Australia.
Lithium Supply Security
Between 2000 and 2010, lithium consumption in batteries increased by 20% annually. In the following decade, that figure jumped to 107% per year for batteries, with overall lithium consumption growing 27% annually on average.
Demand for lithium is forecast to almost triple by mid-decade from last year’s level, according to BloombergNEF .
Therefore, lithium supply security has become a top priority for tech companies in Asia, Europe, and the United States.