20 companies are responsible for 35 percent of carbon emissions in the modern era, study shows

Carbon.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A new study put 20 of the world's biggest fossil fuels in the spotlight, The Guardian reports. Unsurprisingly, it's not for a very flattering reason.

The analysis by Richard Heede at the Climate Accountability Institute reveals that the 20 companies have contributed to 35 percent of all energy-related carbon emissions since 1965. Among the firms are Chevron, ExxonMobil, and BP, which contributed the second, fourth, and sixth most tonnage of carbon dioxide, respectively. Meanwhile, 12 of the 20 companies are state-owned entities, including Saudi Aramco, Russia's Gazprom, and the National Iranian Oil Company. Aramco leads the pack by a good amount — alone it accounts for more than 4 percent of emissions.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.