January 26, 2026 · New data from the Carbon Majors report reveals that global carbon emissions continue to rise despite pledges to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius—and that these emissions are becoming increasingly concentrated among a smaller group of high-emitting producers.
The Carbon Majors report is an initiative that traces historical fossil fuel production data from the 1800s to the present day, revealing that a small number of producers are responsible for a huge share of global emissions.
The Philippine Commission on Human Rights used Carbon Majors as a basis for the National Inquiry on Climate Change (NICC), the world’s first investigation into corporate responsibility for the climate crisis. The NICC systematically reframes the climate crisis into a human rights issue, and has acted as a reference for climate litigation in the Philippines and beyond.
Trends from the latest report
The latest Carbon Majors report reveals that carbon production continues to consolidate among an increasingly small number of entities—from 38 companies five years ago to 32 companies in 2024. State-controlled companies, particularly in China, India, Russia, and the Middle East, also remain dominant, accounting for 57% of global fossil carbon emissions.
Interestingly, these governments also formed the major opposition at last year’s COP in Brazil, blocking the fossil fuel phaseout roadmap supported by a coalition of more than 80 countries.
State-controlled companies represent 17 of the top 20 historical emitters. The remaining three are investor-owned companies: UK-based Shell—which has recently been sued by survivors of Typhoon Odette—US-based Chevron, and ExxonMobil.
“The latest updates to the database underscore the growing importance of this kind of rigorous evidence in efforts to determine accountability for climate-related losses. By providing the link between corporate activity and climate impacts, Carbon Majors turns scientific findings into action across the legal, legislative, and regulatory landscapes,” said Emmett Connaire, Lead Researcher of the Carbon Majors database.
Multiple peer-reviewed studies published in 2025 have used the Carbon Majors data to link corporate emissions to a wide range of impacts. Some of the key findings in these studies reveal that emissions from Carbon Majors entities 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.
Carbon emitters in climate cases
The data has also figured prominently in climate litigation cases, including the ongoing Odette Case vs Shell Plc. The Odette Case marks the first time that Filipino petitioners are using attribution science in actual courts. “The reason the claimants are looking at Shell Plc is because the decision to not do anything about climate change comes from there,” said Jeff Chua of Greenpeace Philippines, in an interview with Sustina. “It’s top-level decision-making to profit and expand their business, while also denying their role in climate change, that is at the root of this case.”
Outside of litigation, the Carbon Majors database can be used as a resource for other sectors. “Financial institutions, for example, can use it when lending money or managing investments,” said Connaire. “Banking regulations now require banks to disclose if they have relationships with the biggest polluters. In that case, the database helps banks realize which companies are the biggest emitters.”
“We provide the data for free—people just sign up and download it—so we often hear about new, interesting ways it gets used. Our mission is to provide data that is as objective and science-based as possible and let people run with it,” he added.
Access the Carbon Majors report here.
