THE BIGGEST WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM THE 2015 PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

A decade after the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, it's becoming easier to see which countries have made the greatest progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions—and which have gone in the opposite direction.

Biggest reductions in total emissions since 2015

The United States has achieved the largest absolute reduction in emissions since the Paris Agreement was signed.

Biggest increases in total emissions since 2015

By comparison, New Zealand's emissions have fallen by around 10% (8.3 million tonnes) since 2015—roughly one three-hundredth of China's increase over the same period.

Largest percentage reductions     Largest percentage increases

The Key takeaways

These figures highlight the challenge facing global climate policy. While many developed economies have reduced emissions substantially, rapid industrialisation and economic growth in several developing nations—particularly China and India—have more than offset many of those gains.

It also illustrates why New Zealand's contribution, while commendable domestically, represents only a very insignificantly small fraction of the overall global emissions picture.