Sources, Regional Patterns, and Trends

The report identifies the residential sector as the largest global source of black carbon (BC), accounting for 48% of emissions in 2017, followed by transportation (24%) and industry. While emissions have declined in North America, Europe, and China due to stricter standards and fuel switching, these gains are being offset by increases in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where reliance on unclean cooking fuels remains high. The document highlights critical hotspots, including eastern China and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and notes that global BC reductions are not currently on track to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's 1.5°C warming limit.

• The residential sector is the primary global source of black carbon (BC) emissions, representing approximately 48% of the total in 2017, largely due to the use of solid fuels for cooking and heating by about 2.4 billion people in low- and middle-income countries.
• Transportation is the second largest BC source at 24% of global emissions, primarily driven by diesel vehicles and ships. Mitigation strategies include diesel particulate filters, which can remove up to 95% of BC, low-sulfur fuels, and electric or hybrid vehicles.
• Five countries—China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria—account for half of all global BC emissions, with China and India alone contributing one-third of anthropogenic emissions.
• Regional emission patterns vary significantly: transportation is the dominant source in North and South America, Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia; while the residential sector is the primary source in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where the latter's residential sector accounts for over 75% of its regional BC emissions.
• Specific high-emission hotspots include eastern China and the Indo-Gangetic Plain (covering northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), which together concentrate around 20% of global BC emissions.
• Shipping contributes approximately 2% of global BC emissions, with a doubling of emissions within the Arctic region between 2015 and 2021 due to increased shipping activity.
• Between 2010 and 2017, anthropogenic BC emissions declined in the US (16%), China (20%), and the EU (6%), but increased by 8% in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, threatening to offset global gains.
• Global BC emission reductions are not currently aligned with IPCC recommendations required to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement's goal of limiting warming to below 1.5°C.

APA

Project Drawdown (n.d.). Sources, Regional Patterns, and Trends. https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/sources-regional-patterns-and-trend

Chicago

Project Drawdown. Sources, Regional Patterns, and Trends. n.d. https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/sources-regional-patterns-and-trend.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Project Drawdown |title=Sources, Regional Patterns, and Trends |url=https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/sources-regional-patterns-and-trend |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{projectdrawdownndsources, author = {{Project Drawdown}}, title = {{Sources, Regional Patterns, and Trends}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, url = {https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/sources-regional-patterns-and-trend}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }