The five countries that have contributed the most to global warming in history, according to the Carbon Digest

(CNN in Spanish) — The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) is being held in Dubai with the aim of accelerating action to confront the climate crisis amid record temperatures around the world and increasing extreme phenomena affecting populations in various parts of the planet.

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) comes at a time when it has become increasingly necessary to correct course to avoid more serious consequences for our ecosystems. According to data shared by the Deputy Director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Samantha Burgess, Earth’s temperature briefly rose above the 2 degree Celsius threshold, which scientists warn could have catastrophic and irreversible effects on the planet.

But which countries have historically contributed to global warming?

a Carbon Brief Center study He revealed countries’ responsibility for emitting carbon dioxide emitted since the beginning of the industrial revolution between 1850 and 2021.

In total, humans have released about 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since 1850.

The analysis, which only takes into account emissions from burning fuel, points to the United States as the most polluting country historically, followed by China, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia.

The United States tops the ranking, having released more than 500 billion tons of carbon dioxide since 1850. According to the Carbon Brief, it is responsible for the majority of historical emissions, contributing about 20% of the global total.

China comes in second place with 11.4% of carbon dioxide emissions accumulated so far. The Asian country has released more than 280 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

According to the study, China’s carbon dioxide production has tripled since 2000, overtaking the United States to become the world’s largest annual emitter.

Russia is the third most polluting country in history, producing more than 170 billion tons of carbon dioxide, accounting for about 6.9% of accumulated global emissions.

Brazil ranks fourth and is the only Latin American country to appear in the top 10 because the analysis takes into account deforestation, as well as land use for livestock and agriculture. The country has contributed 4.5% of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 110,000 million tons, since 1850.

In fifth place comes Indonesia, with more than 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 4.1% of emissions.

The following are Germany (3.5% of CO2 emissions), India (3.4%), the United Kingdom (3% of CO2), Japan (2.7% of emissions), and Canada (2.6%).

The relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming

There is a direct, linear relationship between the total amount of carbon dioxide released by human activity and the level of global warming on Earth, with carbon dioxide emissions released hundreds of years ago still contributing to global warming, according to Carbon Summary.

This means that current warming is determined by the cumulative sum of carbon dioxide emissions over time.

The relationship between cumulative emissions and global warming is measured by the “transient climate response of cumulative emissions,” which, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is estimated at 1.65 degrees Celsius per billion tons of carbon.

The main factors of global warming

Carbon dioxide produced by human activity is mainly responsible for global warming. In 2020, its atmospheric concentration increased by 48% above the pre-industrial level, according to a new report. European Commission.

In contrast, it is estimated that natural causes, such as changes in solar radiation or volcanic activity, contributed less than 0.1% to total global warming between 1890 and 2010.

Human activities that generate the most emissions:

• Combustion of coal, oil and gasWhich produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
• Elimination of Forests. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus help regulate climate. When they are cut down, the beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming.
• Livestock development. Cows and sheep produce a large amount of methane due to gases produced by their digestive systems.
• Fertilizers With nitrogen producing nitrous oxide emissions.
• Fluorinated gases. They are emitted by appliances and products that use these gases and have a powerful heating effect that is up to 23,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.