Iran Fossil-Fuel CO₂ Emissions

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Iran has shown remarkable growth in total fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions since 1955, averaging 5.7% per year. In 2006 total emissions reached an all-time high of 127 million metric tons of carbon. With Iran being the world's fourth largest oil-producing country it is not surprising crude oil and petroleum products account for the majority of the Iranian emissions, 45.7% in 2006. The CO₂ emissions time series for Iran, like other countries in the Middle East, shows sizeable emissions from gas flaring in the late 1960s and 1970s and a decline in these emissions during the 1980s and 1990s. This downturn reflects changes in oil field practices, improvements in oil field facilities, and increasing use of gas fuels. Emissions from gas fuels have grown 346-fold since 1955 and now account for 43.2% of Iran's total fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions. From a per capita standpoint, Iran is above the global average at 1.81 metric tons of carbon.

Energy statistics for Iran in the early 1950s and the corresponding CO₂ emissions estimates should be used with caution. Domestic fuel consumption is calculated as the difference between production plus imports and exports plus changes in stocks. When both production and exports are very large and very similar, a small error in either estimate can make it appear that domestic consumption was negative.