Dataset Summary

** The Overall View: Emissions Throughout Time

• We start by looking at worldwide patterns between 1990 and 2020.

• Line Chart: Time series of annual CO2 emissions (Mt)

• This graphic illustrates the general increase in world emissions, which peaked in 2019.

• Emissions decline during significant turning times, such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic.

• A boom in Asia is an indication of rapid development.

• Policy-driven sustainability is reflected in Europe’s flatness.

• An unrelenting increase in the worldwide total indicates that the urgency is not being fulfilled.

** Insight: Emissions have increased despite international climate initiatives, indicating that policy implementations may not keep pace with actual industrial expansion.

Top 10 Emitters in 2020

• The top contributors to world carbon dioxide emissions for 2020 are clearly shown in the bar chart named “Top 10 CO₂ Emitters in 2020.” The World total, which serves as a benchmark, is at the top and includes all emissions worldwide. As a result of the fast industrial and economic growth in nations like China, India, and others in Southeast Asia, Non-OECD (GCP) and Asia emerge as the main regional sources of emissions.
• China plays a crucial role in talks about climate change because, even as a single nation, its emissions are comparable to those of whole regional blocs. In the meanwhile, because of its high consumption patterns, North America continues to make a large contribution despite developments in renewable energy and laws. Overall, the graph emphasises how complicated and dispersed today’s emissions are, underscoring the necessity of distinct yet well-coordinated global climate policies.

USA vs China Over Time

• The absolute change in emissions between 1990 and 2020 is displayed in this section.
• Dual View Column Charts:
• The top 5 nations with the largest declines (such as Germany and the UK)
• The top 5 nations with the largest gains (China, India, etc.)
• Insight: Rapid development caused large rises in emissions in some countries, whereas deindustrialisation or the move to renewable energy caused emissions to decrease in others.

Global Emissions Trend

• Using graph, we compared CO₂ emissions per capita vs GDP per capita.
• Graph : Emissions per person vs GDP
• Wealthier nations tend to have higher emissions per person.
• However, some countries show decoupling, where high GDP doesn’t translate to equally high emissions.
• Insight: Economic prosperity doesn’t always demand high emissions — a hopeful sign for sustainable development.

Countries With Reduced Emissions (1990–2020)

• The cumulative CO2 contribution since 1990 by area or income category is displayed in a bar graph.
• bar graph: Total Contribution to Emissions
• Despite having lower populations, North America and Europe make up a disproportionately big part.
• This puts the responsibility controversy in international climate discussions in context.

Emerging Emitters (1990–2020)

• The industrialisation of nations like China and India is driving the surge, with Asia leading the way.
• Without strict pollution controls, the economies of non-OECD countries expanded quickly.
• The growth of developing economies is reflected in upper-middle-income nations.
• Despite decades of climate meetings, the global total also reveals a substantial growth.
• A 30-year change in emissions reveals not only progress but also unfair accountability and the pressing need for just and global climate action.

Key Takeaways

• China is now the world’s top emitter.
• USA shows decline since 2005.
• Global emissions are still increasing.
• Targeted policies needed in fast-growing regions.
• The most populated nations are not generally the ones with the highest emissions; per capita data shows glaring disparities.
• For example, compared to bigger industrial economies, emissions per capita are frequently greater in tiny oil-rich countries.
• Due to policy and technology, several high-income nations (such as the UK and Germany) have decreased or stabilised their emissions, even though they are not among the top five increasers.
• This demonstrates that, with the correct tactics, emissions may be reduced.
• Although the global total rose by 12.4 billion tonnes, the growth was not evenly distributed.
• The majority of the expansion is concentrated in a small number of places, indicating the need for focused mitigating measures.

References

• Data: Our World in Data

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• Hofer-Pottala, S. (2023). Approaches to data visualization in technical communication research: A systematic literature review. University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy. https://hdl.handle.net/11299/256039

• Nguyen, V. T., Jung, K., & Gupta, V. (2021). Examining data visualization pitfalls in scientific publications. Visual Computing for Industry, Biomedicine, and Art, 4(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42492-021-00092-y