How much does oil contribute to global emissions?
Quick Answer
Oil combustion accounts for approximately 33% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, or about 11-12 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. Combined with natural gas, petroleum operations also contribute significant methane emissions. Understanding these numbers is essential for both industry accountability and realistic transition planning.
Key Numbers
Full Analysis
In-depth exploration with citations and evidence
Breaking Down Fossil Fuel Emissions#
Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels total approximately 36 billion tonnes annually :
| Source | Share | Annual CO2 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 40% | ~14.5 Gt |
| Oil | 33% | ~11.5 Gt |
| Gas | 21% | ~7.5 Gt |
| Cement/Other | 6% | ~2.5 Gt |
Where Oil Emissions Come From#
Oil emissions by sector :
- Transportation: 60% (cars, trucks, ships, planes)
- Industry: 15% (petrochemicals, process heat)
- Buildings: 10% (heating oil)
- Power generation: 5% (declining)
- Other: 10%
The Methane Factor#
Beyond CO2, oil and gas operations release methane—a more potent but shorter-lived greenhouse gas:
- Oil and gas methane: ~80 million tonnes annually [source:iea-methane-tracker]
- Represents 6% of global methane emissions
- Equivalent to ~2.5 Gt CO2 on 100-year basis
- Industry can reduce with known technologies
Putting Numbers in Context#
Oil's 33% share of fossil CO2 means:
- Reducing oil use is necessary but not sufficient
- Coal phase-out in power offers larger near-term gains
- Transportation decarbonization is key for oil emissions
- Methane reductions offer quick climate wins
Steelmanned Counterarguments
We present the strongest version of opposing viewpoints—not strawmen.
1Oil is the biggest climate problem.
Coal remains the largest single source of CO2 (40% of fossil fuel emissions) despite declining use. However, oil is more challenging to replace in transportation than coal is in power generation.