Summary
This topical review synthesises the scientific literature to explain recent trends in global greenhouse gas emissions across five economic sectors between 1990 and 2018. It finds that whilst moderate decarbonisation has occurred in Europe and North America through fuel switching and renewable energy deployment, rapidly industrialising regions continue to expand fossil-based energy systems, and strong demand growth in industry, buildings, transport and agriculture—particularly in Asia, Latin America and Africa—has driven persistent emissions increases. The review emphasises that despite growing climate policy attention, the global trajectory shows limited progress and few signs of fundamental structural shifts away from carbon-intensive economic activity.
Regional applicability
The review is global in scope and includes analysis of European and North American decarbonisation trends, making it directly relevant to United Kingdom climate policy and carbon accounting. However, the UK's experience post-2018 and sectoral emissions pathways should be contextualised within the broader patterns documented here, particularly as UK agriculture and land use policies evolve independently of the global AFOLU trends described.
Key measures
Global and regional GHG emissions trends by sector (energy, industry, buildings, transport, AFOLU); emissions growth, stability and decline patterns across ten global regions; decarbonisation rates in energy systems
Outcomes reported
The review synthesises literature on GHG emissions trends across five sectors (energy, industry, buildings, transport, AFOLU) from 1990 to 2018, identifying regional patterns of emissions growth, stability and decline. It documents that progress in reducing global emissions has been limited, with persistent underlying drivers and limited evidence of demand saturation or deep decarbonisation shifts.
Topic tags
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