These 100 Companies Are Responsible For Most Of The World’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Since 1988, just 100 companies have been responsible for a staggering 71% of the world’s production of greenhouse gases, according to the new Carbon Majors Report. Of that group, the 25 most egregious offenders are responsible for more than half of the world’s production. The report also stated that the emissions from fossil fuel producers alone have significantly contributed to global warming.

The figures used in the report were collected from publicly available databases.

As many giant firms, such as Google, Apple, and even Ikea, have signed on to the RE100 initiative, pledging to use 100% renewable power, the CDP issued this report of the 100 most egregious offenders to offer transparency to investors so that they understand the environmental and economic nature of the businesses they choose to capitalize.

Here’s the list in descending order, based on CDP’s collected data.

Perhaps most telling in the report is the nature of ownership of the companies listed. While 30% are publicly owned and 11% are privately held firms, the balance is owned by governments, with China’s state-managed coal industry occupying the conspicuous top spot on the list. To that end, international actions, such as the Paris Agreement to benchmark and monitor emissions, become even more essential for the globe — but are made all the more tenuous by the U.S. president’s intent to exit from the treaty.