Fatshimetrie is a recent study that revealed alarming figures on greenhouse gas emissions in major cities around the world. This data, presented at COP29, highlights the regions that contribute the most to global warming and air pollution.
According to information provided by Fatshimetrie, the largest volumes of greenhouse gas emissions are found in Asia and the United States. Shanghai stands out at the top of the ranking with no less than 256 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, even surpassing entire countries such as Colombia and Norway. New York City and Houston are also among the most polluting cities, with 160 million and 150 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions respectively, thus making it into the top 50 of emissions nationwide.
Countries such as China, India, Iran, Indonesia and Russia recorded the largest increases in emissions between 2022 and 2023, while others, such as Venezuela, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, were able to significantly reduce their ecological footprint.
In addition to greenhouse gases, Fatshimetrie’s study also looked at other traditional pollutants such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and other substances associated with air pollution.
Faced with these worrying figures, nations gathered at the UN climate talks in Baku are trying to set new targets for reducing these emissions and determine how much the richest countries will have to contribute to help the world in this colossal task.
A report by an independent panel of experts at the summit highlighted the urgent need to invest more than $6 trillion a year by 2030 to avoid even higher costs in the future. It is clear that concrete action must be taken to limit emissions and protect our planet from the disastrous consequences of global warming.