“This figure shows carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2011 for different regions of the world. These totals do not include emissions or sinks related to land-use change or forestry. Inclusion of land-use change and forestry would increase the apparent emissions from some regions while decreasing the emissions from others.” – United States Environmental Protection Agency

This figure depicts the significant growth in global carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2011. Note that the largest absolute increase occurred in Asia, while Africa and the Middle East and South America also experienced large relative increases. An increase in carbon dioxide emissions for a region generally indicates population and/or economic growth for the respective region; we know that China and India, both located on the Asian continent, have experienced some of the highest population and economic growth trends in the past several decades.