Graph of the Day: Where the world’s greenhouse gases come from

When the World Resources Institute released its groundbreaking global greenhouse gas emissions chart in 2000, showing for the first time how much CO2 was truly being produced and by whom, it became one of the most frequently used graphs about greenhouse gases and their impact on the environment.

Thirteen years later, ASN Bank and Ecofys, in cooperation with DuurzaamBedrijfsleven.nl, have updated the WRI chart using data from 2010. You can see the result below: a detailed flow-chart showing, from start to finish, the sources of the greenhouse gases and the amount of each that finds its way into our atmosphere. It also shows which industries contribute the most to emissions and which resource they use doing so.

As David Roberts at Grist has pointed out, the chart – which is probably best viewed in its original PDF form – offers “no grand conclusions … just something to think on.” The good news, he adds, is that “every one of these sources can be dialed down, through conservation and efficiency if nothing else.” The hard bit? Working out how to squeeze coal out of industry. (*Double click on the chart to enlarge it.)