Article by Batuhan (05.06.2025)

Statistics of a recent survey report that 86% of the participants were aware of climate change and its negative impact on the world. Many already know about how the current lifestyle of humanity is causing rising global temperatures, which leads to a slew of problems worldwide. Many believe we are all equally responsible, but is that really true?

A statistic shows the recent shocking revelation that half the carbon emissions worldwide are coming from only 36 companies. Climate change is a serious problem for all people, as the rise of global temperatures causes ice caps to melt, which also leads to rising sea levels. Droughts are caused in other areas as rising temperatures also lead to water evaporation. The extreme climates in the world are becoming much worse as well. Biodiversity is slowly eroding as species designed to live in specific ecosystems find themselves forced to adapt when climate change begins to disturb the food chain. Reports are also circulating of more and more “hybrid” species that exist due to climate change and human activity, slowly forcing species to relocate to increasingly smaller areas where food becomes scarce and species begin to die out. Should climate change continue, it is believed that millions more people will die from all these rapidly evolving conditions.

These statistics and conditions have pushed millions of people into action as they attempt to find a way to stop this crisis. Fossil fuels are swapped out for “safer” renewables like solar, wind, and hydropower. However, there have been issues following the spread of awareness about climate change. Politicians have begun to use it as a reason for being elected, and when those politicians attempt to follow through with their promises and fail, many begin to believe that climate change is not real or is simply exaggerated. This is proven by the pushes by politicians to increase fossil fuel usage in order to fix current problems. This new statistic reveals that it is not the everyday person who is truly at fault, but rather those 36 companies that have covered their involvement and instead push the narrative that everyone is “equally” responsible.

These 36 companies have been emitting at least 50% of the entire world's carbon emissions. 19 of these companies come from Asia and the Middle East, with the largest of these companies named “Saudi Aramco,” producing 4.4% of the world's total carbon emissions. The companies named Coal India, CHN Energy, Jinneng Group, and the cement industry of China occupy the next 4 spots in decreasing order with 3.7%, 3.7%, 2.9%, and 2.8%. This means that only 5 companies are responsible for emitting 17.5% of the world's carbon emissions. If you were to add the 6th largest emitter, “The National Iranian Oil Company,” you would have 20.3% of the world's carbon emissions, which are produced solely by 6 different companies. 41% of the world's emissions are still produced by coal, which has increased by 1.9% by 2022. Cement emissions saw the largest increase of 6.5%; Natural gas emissions fell by 3.7%, and oil had a stable emission, only increasing by 0.3%.

These companies have now officially been connected to producing 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023. Historical data outlines these emissions more starkly. Since the industrial revolution of 1854 to 2023, 67% of carbon emissions have been produced by 180 companies. 11 of these companies no longer exist, but 26 companies have been proven to be responsible for a third of these historical emissions. A senior analyst of this report believes that this small group of companies is “significantly increasing production and emissions.” The worst reveal of this report is that state-owned companies (25 in total) are the majority of these emitters, and 16 of them take up the Top 20 slots. This means that 80% (or ⅘) of the companies that emit the most carbon are government-owned companies. This indicates that countries with the most emissions have no plans on scaling down their carbon footprint, and instead are reported to be doing the opposite and increasing their production. 

Nearly a quarter of these emissions come from China, with 23% of emissions. Out of the 36 companies, five are based in North America, another nine are from Europe (one of which is Shell), only two companies are from Africa, and one is in South America. The main issues underscored with these government-owned companies are that to maintain the Paris Peace Agreement, global emissions must fall by 45% of what they are currently to keep the global warming limit at 1.5°C. The International Energy Agency also comments that any fossil fuel projects started after 2021 are not compatible with reaching the net-zero needed by 2050. This report has stirred many international organizations into warning governments of the dangers of leaving decreasing emissions to wealthy corporations and individuals. This report proves to all that these individuals willingly ignore warnings of global warming to make short-term profits for themselves and their shareholders instead. Savio Carvalho, head of regions at international environmental organization 350.org, states that these entities “cannot be trusted with fixing the climate crisis or leading the transition to renewable energy we so badly need.”

According to The Guardian, 57 companies have been listed as accountable for 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 to 2024. This report is older than the aforementioned one, as in this one, the rankings have changed, with ExxonMobil being the largest in emissions, with 3.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide over 7 years, equating to 1.4% of the global total. Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies all fell close behind, with each company contributing 1% by themselves. This report also makes note of the growing production of emissions in Asia, which has continued despite dire warnings by the International Energy Agency that to maintain the safe limits of global heating, no new oil or gas fields can be opened. This report is accurate to the most recent statistic, which shows the top 10 companies with the highest emissions located primarily in Asia and the Middle East. This shows how, in one year, production of emissions in Asia increased so much that they held double the amount of ExxonMobil, which was the previous highest emitter.

Richard Heed (the person who established the Carbon Majors database in 2013) stated that it was “morally reprehensible” for companies to continue their expansions despite knowing how harmful their products are. He believes that it is wrong to blame consumers, as they have been “forced to be reliant on oil and gas due to government capture by oil and gas companies.” Knowing these facts, is it such a surprise to learn that since the Industrial Revolution, a rough total of 2.3 trillion tons of carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere? While half of this amount has been absorbed by the oceans and another 30% is usually taken in by trees as part of the natural carbon cycle, the last 20% is more than enough to begin global warming, as even the absorbed carbon dioxide leads to environmental problems, because the carbon cycle is disturbed.

The worst problem this statistic reveals is the hypocrisy of companies and how they attempt to force everyone to face the responsibility of climate change. ExxonMobil hopes to have net-zero emissions by 2050 as their goal and maintains its stance on advocacy of the crisis. Yet with reports like these, can we trust them to keep their word? Saudi Aramco (the producers of 4.4% of all carbon emissions globally) have stated on their website's front page that they too aim for net zero emissions by 2050 and have many subpages explaining how they attempt to manage their footprint. However, if Saudi Aramco were a country, it would be the fourth-largest polluter worldwide, following the USA, China, and India. Almost all of the 36 companies have pages detailing how they intend to have net-zero emissions by 2050, with almost all of them keeping the date of 2030 as a target for very reduced emissions. If this were the case, then why do all of their emissions combined hold over half the total carbon emissions globally? 

Furthermore, each different country has a different average when it comes to how much its people emit. In 2021, the average North American emitted 11 times more carbon dioxide than the average African. However, it is also revealed by the International Energy Agency that the richest 0.1% of the world produces 10 times more than even the richest 10% of the world's population. The disparity also states that the richest 10% of the world population is responsible for the majority of emissions, which is explained as the richest 10% usually involving first-world countries that hold more goods and services that use up more fuel and therefore produce more emissions. The problem arises when, even though the richest people have the best means to switch to more energy-efficient and renewable energy sources, they still feel that the rules do not apply to them, as they can afford any taxes or penalties placed on them.

In conclusion, there are many reports and articles showcasing the hypocrisy of both the companies and the people. Companies that pledge to have net-zero emissions by 2050 instead are shown to increase their emissions regardless. Everyday people who take the crisis more seriously strive to change their lifestyles, but will eventually struggle as the companies use their level best to market their cheap goods and how much more convenient they are to the common person than expensive renewables. These companies have long since promised to help in ending the climate crisis, yet have done nearly nothing but work against it. These 36 companies expose the issues that appear when attempting to convince companies to become more environmentally sustainable and showcase how companies like these can act so two-faced.

Sources

Source 1- Visual capitalist

Venditti, Bruno. “Ranked: Companies with the Most Fossil Fuel and Cement CO2 Emissions.” Visual Capitalist, 8 Apr. 2025, www.visualcapitalist.com/fossil-fuel-cement-co2-emissions/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. 

Source 2-Euronews

Figueres, Christiana. “Half Global Emissions Tied to Just 36 Companies, Report Finds.” Euronews, 5 Mar. 2025, www.euronews.com/green/2025/03/05/these-36-fossil-fuel-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-global-emissions-report-reveals. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. 

Source 3-US EPA (Environmental protection Agency)

EPA, US. “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Mar. 2025, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#:~:text=The%20transportation%20sector%20is%20the,use%20are%20allocated%20across%20sectors. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. 

Source 4-The Guardian

Doe, John. “Just 57 Companies Linked to 80% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions since 2016.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Apr. 2024, www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/just-57-companies-linked-to-80-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-since-2016. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. 

Source 5-IEA (International Energy Agency)

Publishers, Multiple. “The World’s Top 1% of Emitters Produce over 1000 Times More CO2 than the Bottom 1% – Analysis - IEA.” International Energy Agency, 22 Feb. 2023, www.iea.org/commentaries/the-world-s-top-1-of-emitters-produce-over-1000-times-more-co2-than-the-bottom-1. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.