Key Figures on Climate – France, Europe, Worldwide

28 November 2019 - Climate Brief - By : Aurore COLIN

On the opening of the 25^th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 25) which is held in Madrid from 2 to 13 December 2019, I4CE-Institute for Climate Economics and the French Ministry of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition are pleased to present the 2020 edition of Key Figures on climate – France, Europe, Worlwide.

This small-format publication summarizes the basics to better understand climate change challenges. Figures and graphs illustrate its causes and impacts, as well as mitigation measures. In particular, detailed statistics are provided on greenhouse gas emissions and on observed trends in the world, in Europe and in France. This publication has been produced for both the general public and the expert who needs a summary close to hand.

Some key figures from the 2020 edition:

Global CO2 emissions increased by + 64% between 1990 and 2017. They account for three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions linked to human activities, which totalled the equivalent of 53.5 GtCO2e in 2017.
These emissions cause the warming of the global annual mean temperature: the latter has increased by +1°C relative to the 1850-1900 reference period.
In 2017, China remained the highest CO2 emitting country in the world (29.3%), ahead of the United States (13.8%), the European Union (9.6%) and India (6.6%).
In 2017, European Union GHG emissions, without Land-use, Land-Use change and Forestry (LULUCF), increased by -0.5% compared to 2016 and over the longer term decreased by +23% from 1990.
The price of allowances of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) has increased since 2018. In the first six months of 2019, it has fluctuated between € 20 and € 30/tCO2e.
In 2017, France GHG emissions, without Land-use, Land-Use change and Forestry (LULUCF), increased by -0.9% compared to 2016 and over the longer term decreased by +15% from 1990.
The carbon footprint⁽¹⁾ of the French population increased by +20% between 1995 and 2018.
In 2017, France invested 41.2 billion euros in favour of the climate.

1 The carbon footprint approach accounts for emissions from final domestic demand in the country. It includes emissions from imported goods in addition to direct emissions from households (housing and cars) and from domestic production (excluding exports). It accounts here the three main greenhouse gases: CO2, CH4, and N2O. It complements and differs from the more widely used territorial approach, which accounts for greenhouse gases physically emitted inside a country.

Key Figures on Climate – France, Europe, Worldwide Download

I4CE Contacts

Aurore COLIN

Research Fellow – Local authorities, Transport infrastructure Email

To learn more

06/13/2025 Foreword of the week
The unlocked potential of carbon revenues to help fill the climate finance gap

Climate negotiations are taking place next week in Bonn, with finance once again high on the agenda. COP 29 ended last year with a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) –revised climate finance target to replace the USD 100 billion goal. The NCQG decision put forward a commitment by developed countries to lead in providing USD 300 billion per year by 2035 for developing countries, as well as a proposal to work on a roadmap to scale up climate finance for developing countries to reach a level closer to the estimated needs –the ‘Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T’ (USD 1.3 trillion). The latter must be delivered at the end of the year at COP 30, and strong efforts are being put in the task by the Brazilian Presidency.
06/11/2025
Global carbon accounts 2025

This 2025 edition of the Global Carbon Accounts presents a landscape of carbon pricing instruments through the lens of their current and potential contribution to scale up climate and development finance. Several jurisdictions are already using carbon revenues to support a range of policy objectives, including decarbonization efforts and support for economic actors most affected by the transition. Yet there is still potential for them to further contribute to fill the gap.
03/21/2025 Blog post
In the absence of a carbon tax in Canada, measures to fill the gap are essential

On his first day in office, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the elimination of the consumer carbon tax, in response to political pressures rather than evidence-based concerns about its effectiveness or impact on affordability. The tax had played a crucial role in reducing the country’s GHG emissions, and along with other carbon pricing policies, was expected to contribute nearly half of Canada’s emissions reductions by 2030. Additionally, the majority of revenues collected were redistributed to citizens, protecting vulnerable households. Thus, without alternative policies to compensate, eliminating the tax could slow emissions reductions and increase inflationary pressure, particularly for low- and middle-income families who benefited financially from the Canada Carbon Rebate funded by the tax.

Key Figures on Climate – France, Europe, Worldwide

Aurore COLIN

The unlocked potential of carbon revenues to help fill the climate finance gap

Global carbon accounts 2025

In the absence of a carbon tax in Canada, measures to fill the gap are essential