JRC: global greenhouse gas emissions hit record high in 2025 despite cuts by six major emitters (report)

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) reported on 7 September 2026 that the global greenhouse gas output climbed to a record of 54 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2025, even though six of the planet's 16 biggest polluters managed to bring their own emissions down over the year.

Six economies - China, the United States, India, the EU, Russia and Indonesia - accounted for close to two-thirds (62%) of world emissions in 2025, but their individual trajectories pulled in different directions, with the United States pulling further ahead while China and India both showed almost no growth for the first time on record. Meanwhile, six of the 16 countries that each account for more than 1% of global emissions recorded reductions in 2025, among them Australia, Brazil and Japan.

According to figures…