In this article we are going to list the 5 biggest companies that are the biggest polluters in the world. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list, take a look at the 10 biggest companies that are the biggest polluters in the world.
10. Petróleos de Venezuela
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 15.75
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 1.16%
Owned by the government of Venezuela, the company is easily among the biggest pollutants in the world.
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9. Pemex
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 22.65
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 1.67%
Pemex is a Mexican company, and was in 1979 responsible for one of the largest oil spills in history among numerous other environmental concerns.
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8. Coal India
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 23.12
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 1.71%
The largest coal producing company in the world is coal India, which is also among the companies that are the biggest polluters in the world. The company was accused of operating more than 200 mines without obtaining environmental clearance.
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7. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS)
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 31.95
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 2.36%
Shell has operations in at least 70 countries across the world. The company has been sued by six NGO and more than 17,000 citizens for its poor environmental record, and has also been accused of greenwashing.
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6. BP (NYSE:BP)
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 34.02
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 2.51%
BP was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon Spill in 2010, which is said to be the worst oil spill in history, which ended up costing the company more than $65 billion in fines, penalties and cleanup costs, though again, for a company which earns more than $280 billion in revenue annually, that will be a hit but not big enough to be a major deterrent.
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5. National Iranian Oil Co.
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 35.66
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 2.63%
Iran doesn’t really have as stringent regulations or their reinforcement as other Western companies which is why this state owned company also has an extremely poor environmental record, which is typical of fossil fuel companies in Iran and other developing economies.
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4. ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM)
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 41.90
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 3.09%
The biggest direct descendant of Standard Oil, which was the biggest company in the world before being declared a monopoly and broken up, ExxonMobil’s revenue in 2019 was $264.9 billion. According to recent research it is one of the biggest pollutants in not just the US but the world, and has been considered a leader in funding climate change denial.
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3. Gazprom AOA
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 43.23
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 3.19%
This energy company is one of the biggest in Russia, and rather than oil, focuses entirely on natural gas. By revenue, it is now the biggest company in Russia, which has many other major companies as well. In 2018, the company was responsible for around 12% of the total global natural gas production.
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2. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 43.35
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 3.2%
Chevron is one of the biggest oil companies in the world, and one of the most well known companies in the world, thanks to its petrol stations in more than 180 countries. It is involved from top to bottom in the oil and gas industry, and was founded 141 years ago. Its revenue in 2019 was around $146.5 billion.
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1. Saudi Aramco
Total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017 (in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent): 59.26
Percentage of total greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017: 4.38%
It is the most profitable company in the world and it also tops the list of the 10 companies that are the biggest polluters in the world. Saudi Aramco is the state owned oil company of one of the richest countries in the world due to its vast oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. In 2020, it has the sixth highest revenue in the world as well as the second highest market cap in the world, and is one of only two companies in the world right now to have a market cap greater than $3 trillion.
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