Numbers to Know: CO2 Rising

Percent of U.S. adults who think corporations are doing too little on climate change: 69%

Number of climate activists who joined Exxon’s 12-member board of directors this year: 3

Number of days this year that atmospheric CO2 levels hit a modern-day record: 2

Last time atmospheric CO2 levels were comparable to levels in 2021: 4,100,000 years ago

Added height in feet of sea level 4.1 million years ago compared to today: 78 feet

Number of Nobel winners calling for an end to fossil fuels: 101

Percent of U.S. millennials who want to prioritize alternative energy over fossil fuels: 81%

Percent of U.S. social media users who have seen content recently on addressing climate change: 46%

Percent of U.S. social media users who have seen content recently about food: 83%

Portion of human greenhouse gas emissions caused by producing, processing and packaging food: 34%

Percent of Earth’s oxygen produced by oceans: 50%

Portion of human CO2 emissions absorbed by oceans: 30%

Estimated number of unknown animal and plant species in the ocean: 2,000,000

Number of known animal and plant species in the ocean: 228,450

Number of marine animal species found to have plastic inside them: 1,400

Percent of ocean litter that’s plastic: 80%

Number of Americans who live in coastal counties: 95,000,000

Portion of US trade that relies on marine transport: 76%

Number of ships on the world’s oceans: 95,402

Number of shipwrecks on the ocean floor: 3,000,000

Deepest spot in the ocean: 7 miles

Number of years the oldest living tortoise has been alive: 189

Number of animal and plant species threatened with extinction: 1,000,000

Number of animal species discovered in 2020: 503

Number of lungless salamander species discovered in 2020: 1

Number of bee and wasp species discovered in 2020: 70

Price in the US for a queen honeybee in 2020: $18

Percent of the world’s food crops that depend on bees and other pollinators: 35%

Percent of Western bumblebee populations lost over last 20 years: 93%

Number of tigers in the wild today: 3,900

Number of tigers in the wild a century ago: 100,000

Number of polar bears left on Earth: 26,000

Percent of the world’s land that’s protected: 12%

Percent of the world’s oceans that are protected: 1%

Portion of CO2 emissions globally that come from transportation: ¼

Percentage drop in CO2 emissions from aviation in 2020: 40%

Drop in total global emissions during 2020: 7%

Percent of CO2 emissions the US intends to cut by 2030: 50%

Percent of emissions China intends to cut by 2030: 65%

Percent of emissions UK intends to cut by 2035: 80%

Year US airline industry says it will reach zero emissions: 2050

Year private aviation company VistaJet plans to reach zero emissions: 2025

Gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) US airlines need by 2030 to achieve their zero-emissions goal: 2,000,000,000

Annual percent increase in SAF production US airlines will need to reach their zero-emissions goal: 84%

Percent of Americans who would be willing to drive less to fight climate change: 57%

Percent of Americans willing to take public transit to fight climate change: 42%

Percent of Americans who plan to travel more post-pandemic than pre-pandemic: 65%

Number of the world’s 202 nations that have committed to net-zero: 124

Number of nations that have put their net-zero commitment into law: 7

Percent of Italians who say we are facing a climate emergency: 81%

Percent of Americans who say we are facing a climate emergency: 65%

Percent of Americans in 2016 who said humans were causing global warming: 65%

Percent of Americans today who say humans are causing global warming: 64%

Percent of Americans in 2016 who said the effects of global warming were already happening: 59%

Percent of Americans today who say the effects of global warming are already happening: 59%

Percent of carbon emissions caused by household consumption: 75%

Percent of household carbon emissions coming from richest 10% of world’s population: 50%

Number of tree species native only to Europe: 454

Percent of European tree species facing extinction: 58%

Acres lost globally to deforestation each year since 2015: 24.7 million

Percent of companies taking at least one action to protect forests in their supply chains: 93%

Percent of companies using “best practices” to protect forests: 1%

Percent of Americans who support a Civilian Climate Corps for young people to work on conservation: 60%

The year global gasoline consumption is believed to have peaked: 2019

The year Shell’s oil production peaked: 2019

The year India’s coal power use may have peaked: 2018

The year GM plans to offer 100% electric vehicles: 2035

Amount GM plans to spend in next 5 years to produce 100% EVs by 2035: $27,000,000,000

The most Americans say they’re willing to pay for an electric vehicle: $25,000

Average cost of an electric car in 2019: $55,600

Tons of CO2 emitted annually by a typical superyacht (with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools): 7,020

Number of billionaires who made enough money during the pandemic to vaccinate the entire world: 10

Percent of CO2 emissions tied to global food waste: 10%

Percent of food worldwide that was wasted in 2019: 17%

Amount wealthy countries committed to give to poorer countries annually by 2020 to fight global warming: $100,000,000,000

Amount wealthy countries actually gave to poorer countries in 2018 to fight global warming: $78,900,000,000

Percentage of large investors that use climate data to manage risk: 50%