17 of the Top 20 Emitters in 2024 Controlled by Countries that Opposed COP30 Fossil Fuel Phase-Out in World Economy News 23/01/2026 New analysis of the 2024 emissions data for companies in the Carbon Majors database reveals that their emissions increased in 2024 compared to 2023 and that production continues to consolidate among an increasingly small number of entities. State-controlled [1] fossil fuel producers remain dominant, representing 17 of the top 20 emitters, underscoring the political barriers to accelerating climate action. At COP30 last year, a coalition of more than 80 countries proposed a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, but this plan was blocked by strong opposition from major producing states. The Carbon Majors database shows that 17 of the top 20 emitting Carbon Majors are controlled by governments that formed this opposition: Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Qatar, and India. These 17 emitters produced 38% of fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions in 2024. The remaining three of the top 20 emitters were UK-based Shell, and US-based Chevron and ExxonMobil. Notably, the United States did not attend the COP30 summit. In 2024, the top five state-owned emitters—Saudi Aramco, Coal India, CHN Energy, National Iranian Oil Co., and Gazprom—were responsible for 18.0% of global fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions (7.8 GtCO₂e). Notably, Coal India, CHN Energy, National Iranian Oil Co, and Gazprom all increased their emissions in 2024 compared to 2023. The top five investor-owned emitters—ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and ConocoPhillips—accounted for 5.5% of global fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions in 2024 (2.4 GtCO₂e). The Carbon Majors dataset is the only dataset of its kind, tracking emissions from the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers going back to 1854. Now updated with 2024 data, this new analysis reveals that 70.0% of anthropogenic fossil CO₂ emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution can be traced to the 178 corporate and state-producing entities in the database. Over this period, just 22 companies accounted for one-third (33.4%) of global fossil CO₂ emissions. Multiple peer-reviewed studies published in the last year used Carbon Majors data and attribution science to link corporate emissions to a wide range of real-world impacts—highlighting the severe and long-lasting effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Key findings include that emissions from the 178 Carbon Majors entities made 213 heatwaves reported between 2000 and 2023 more likely and more intense, and that these emissions contributed to nearly half of the increase in present-day surface temperatures, as well as approximately one-third of observed global sea-level rise. Additionally, researchers were able to attribute trillions of dollars in extreme heat-related economic losses to individual fossil fuel companies in the database, including linking between $791 billion and $3.6 trillion in damages from 1991 to 2020 to Chevron’s emissions alone. Accountability mechanisms grounded in historical corporate emissions have gained significant momentum over the last year, with the Carbon Majors database providing a core evidentiary resource for efforts by governments, courts, and researchers worldwide. In the United States, Carbon Majors underpins Climate Superfund laws in Vermont (passed in May 2024) and New York (passed in December 2024), with similar proposals at various stages