Figure 8 is a line graph that plots global sulfur emissions in Gg of SO₂ on the y or vertical axis, against year from 1900 to 2000 on the x or horizontal axis. The data has 12 overlapping data sets, which all show a similar pattern: a rise from 20,000 Gg in 1900 to about 50,000 Gg 1950, a steeper rise to a peak of about 140,000 Gg in 1980 and a steady decline to about 120,000 in 2000.