Green

Ranked: The Most Carbon-Intensive Sectors in the World

Published

2 months ago

October 1, 2023

Selin Oğuz

Graphics/Design:

Sam Parker

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Ranked: The Most Carbon-Intensive Sectors in the World

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Ever wonder which sectors contribute the most to CO₂ emissions around the world?

In this graphic, we explore the answers to that question by comparing average Scope 1 emission intensities by sector, according to an analysis done by S&P Global Inc.

Defining Scope 1 Emissions

Before diving into the data, it may be useful to understand what Scope 1 emissions entail.

Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by a company, such as their facilities and vehicles.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Scope 1 emissions can do a good job of highlighting a company’s environmental footprint because they represent the direct emissions related to manufacturing or creating a company’s products, whether they are tangible goods, digital software, or services.

Scope 2 and 3 emissions, on the other hand, encompass the indirect emissions associated with a company’s activities, including those from a company’s purchased electricity, leased assets, or investments.

Ranking the Carbon Giants

According to S&P Global’s analysis of 2019-2020 average emissions intensity by sector, utilities is the most carbon-intensive sector in the world, emitting a staggering 2,634 tonnes of CO₂ per $1 million of revenue.

Materials and energy sectors follow behind, with 918 tonnes and 571 tonnes of CO₂ emitted, respectively.

Sector	Sector Explanation	Scope 1 CO2 emissions per $1M of revenue, 2019-2020
Utilities	Electric, gas, and water utilities and independent producers	2,634 tonnes
Materials	Chemicals, construction materials, packaging, metals, and mining	918 tonnes
Energy	Oil and gas exploration/production and energy equipment	571 tonnes
Industrials	Capital goods, commercial services, and transportation	194 tonnes
Consumer staples	Food, household goods, and personal products	90 tonnes
Consumer discretionary	Automobiles, consumer durables, apparel, and retailing	33 tonnes
Real estate	Real estate and real estate management	31 tonnes
Information technology	Software, technology hardware, and semiconductors	24 tonnes
Financials	Banks, insurance, and diversified financials	19 tonnes
Communication services	Telecommunication, media, and entertainment	9 tonnes
Health care	Health care equipment, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and life sciences	7 tonnes

S&P Global also reveals some interesting insights when it comes to various industries within the materials sector, including:

Cement manufacturing exhibits an extremely high level of Scope 1 emissions, emitting more than double the emissions from the utilities sector (5,415 tonnes of CO₂ per $1M of revenue)
Aluminum and steel production are also quite emission-intensive, emitting 1,421 and 1,390 tonnes respectively in 2019-2020
Relatively lower-emission materials such as gold, glass, metals and paper products bring down the average emissions of the materials sector

Given these trends, a closer look at emission-intensive industries and sectors is necessary for our urgent need to decarbonize the global economy.

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Energy

Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023

Today, electric vehicle sales make up 18% of global vehicle sales. Here are the leading models by sales as of August 2023.

Published

2 days ago

December 1, 2023

Marcus Lu

The Highest Electric Vehicle Sales, by Model

Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023

Electric vehicle (EV) sales are gaining momentum, reaching 18% of global vehicle sales in 2023.

As new competitors bring more affordable options and new performance features, the market continues to mature as customers increasingly look to electric options.

This graphic ranks the top-selling EVs worldwide as of August 2023, based on data from CleanTechnica.

The Best Selling EVs in 2023 (Through August)

Below, we show the world’s best selling fully electric vehicles from January to August 2023:

Model	Country	Vehicles Sold (Jan-Aug 2023)
Tesla Model Y	🇺🇸 U.S.	772,364
Tesla Model 3	🇺🇸 U.S.	364,403
BYD Atto 3 / Yuan Plus	🇨🇳 China	265,688
BYD Dolphin	🇨🇳 China	222,825
GAC Aion S	🇨🇳 China	160,693
Wuling HongGuang Mini EV	🇨🇳 China	153,399
GAC Aion Y	🇨🇳 China	136,619
VW ID.4	🇩🇪 Germany	120,154
BYD Seagull	🇨🇳 China	95,202

As we can see, Tesla‘s Model Y still holds a comfortable lead over the competition with 772,364 units sold. That’s more than double the sales of the #2 top selling vehicle, Tesla’s Model 3 (364,403)

But it’s hard to ignore the rising prevalence of Chinese EVs. The next five best selling EV vehicles are Chinese, including three from BYD. The automaker’s Atto 3 (or Yuan Plus, depending on market), is being sold in various countries including Germany, the UK, Japan, and India.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker GAC Group also had two models of its Aion EV brand make the rankings, with the Aion S selling 160,693 units so far.

Regional market strength is also clear. For Volkswagen’s ID.4 model (120,154 units sold), Europe and China account for the majority of sales.

Given growing cost efficiencies and changing consumer behavior, global EV sales are projected to make up half of new car sales globally by 2035, according to forecasts from Goldman Sachs.