Transportation emissions worldwide - statistics & facts
Transportation is now the second-largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions, with mobility from land, air, and sea pumping out more than eight billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCOâ‚‚e) into the atmosphere each year. Emissions from this sector have nearly doubled since 1990 and are expected to continue rising in the coming years unless effective policy measures are implemented. Can the world decarbonize the transportation system, or will it continue driving the climate crisis?
Although there has been some progress in the shift toward low-carbon transportation, the sector has shown little progress in reducing emissions. With annual investment in electrified transportation roughly a third of what it needs to be by 2030 to achieve net zero, and EV sales still well below targets, decarbonizing the sector is set to remain a big challenge going forward.
Rising transportation emissions
Transportation-related emissions of CO₂ – the primary GHG produced by the sector – grew almost four percent year-on-year in 2023, to 8.24 GtCO₂. As a result, emissions from this sector are now almost four times higher than they were in 1970. Although transportation emissions vary by region, they have been increasing at a much faster rate in developing regions when compared to North America and Europe, owing to growing incomes and the increased ownership of cars. But while emissions in countries including China and India have surged since the turn of the century, they remain far below those produced by the United States, the transportation sector’s biggest polluter.What are the most polluting forms of transportation?
Road vehicles are the biggest contributors to transportation emissions by far, accounting for three-quarters of the sector’s total carbon pollution in 2023. This mode of transportation was also responsible for 12 percent of global GHG emissions that year, making it the third-largest source of emissions behind power generation and industry. Passenger cars are the sector’s biggest polluters, having pumped out roughly 3.2 GtCO₂ in 2023 – a 20 percent increase from 2010 levels. Freight vehicles are also significant emitters, with global heavy-duty truck emissions amounting to almost two GtCO₂ annually. This is despite there being far fewer of them on the roads when compared to cars, highlighting the massive carbon footprint of these vehicles.Zero-emission vehicle transition
Achieving climate targets requires a massive transformation of the transportation system. Countries have adopted a range of pledges to reduce emissions, including accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles. EVs are considered a key technology in the clean energy transition owing to their lower lifecycle emissions. However, other key levers will be vital to decarbonization efforts, such as behavioral changes, a switch to low-carbon aviation and shipping fuels, and the increased use of public transportation, which typically have the lowest carbon footprint among transportation modes.Although there has been some progress in the shift toward low-carbon transportation, the sector has shown little progress in reducing emissions. With annual investment in electrified transportation roughly a third of what it needs to be by 2030 to achieve net zero, and EV sales still well below targets, decarbonizing the sector is set to remain a big challenge going forward.
