Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time

The paper identifies an increasing trend in the number of countries reaching peak greenhouse gas emissions, growing from 19 in 1990 to a projected 57 by 2030. While the share of global emissions covered by these countries is expected to rise to 60% by 2030, the current number of peaking countries and their emissions levels remain insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's temperature goals of limiting warming to 1.5-2°C.

• The number of countries that have reached peak greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or have commitments implying a future peak is increasing, rising from 19 countries in 1990 to a projected 57 countries by 2030. This group includes major emitters such as China, the United States, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Germany, and Mexico.
• The share of global emissions covered by countries that have peaked or have commitments to peak is projected to grow from 21% in 1990 to 60% by 2030, based on 2010 GHG emissions data.
• Despite the increasing number of countries peaking, the current trends in the number of countries and the emissions levels at which they peak are not enough to achieve the Paris Agreement's goals of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and ideally to 1.5°C.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time. https://www.wri.org/research/turning-points-trends-countries-reaching-peak-greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-time

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/turning-points-trends-countries-reaching-peak-greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-time.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time |url=https://www.wri.org/research/turning-points-trends-countries-reaching-peak-greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-time |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendturning, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/turning-points-trends-countries-reaching-peak-greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-time}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }