GHG Emissions by Sector
~7% of global GHG emissions come from human activity in the oceans and coasts.
Ocean warming begins with emissions on land and at sea: it is the downstream consequence of greenhouse gas emissions across the global economy. While the shipping industry alone accounts for ~3% of global GHG emissions, several sectors that operate in the ocean add up to roughly 7% of the global total: trade, fishing, offshore oil and gas, and coastal tourism. Marine carbon release from bottom trawling is another significant, and often overlooked, source of carbon release from ocean-floor sediments.
Carbon Emissions & Release in the Oceans
Values in Mt CO₂e/yr, 2023/2024 (some data from 2019, where noted) · Source: Ocean Futures analysis
*Offshore oil and gas emissions are estimated at 30% of global oil and gas operational emissions (scope 1 and 2 in production, not downstream usage on land). Scope 3 emissions from coastal tourism are excluded to reduce upstream complexity: this reflects only direct activity and electricity use.