![]() The investigation has involved more than 20 Guardian journalists working across the world for the past six months. Meanwhile, a number of developing nations occupy the top spots, largely due to less-regulated energy, industry, and transportation industries.The Guardian has collaborated with leading scientists and NGOs to expose, with exclusive data, investigations and analysis, the fossil fuel companies that are perpetuating the climate crisis – some of which have accelerated their extraction of coal, oil and gas even as the devastating impact on the planet and humanity was becoming clear. has the thirteenth-highest per capita emissions at 13.68 tons, while Russia is 20th (11.64), Japan is 26th (8.39), China is 28th (8.20), and India is 110th with a mere 1.74 tons per capita. Top 15 Countries with the Highest CO 2 Emissions per Capita (t) - EU JRC 2020īy this measure, the U.S. ![]() For a more accurate measure of whether a country's policies are succeeding or failing to reduce CO 2 emissions, it is often helpful to examine not only total emissions, but also CO 2 emissions per capita. For example, sharp-eyed observers may notice that the top three emitters are also three of the most populous countries on Earth, so it stands to reason that their emissions would be higher than that of countries with a fraction as many residents. Total emissions, however, fall short of telling the full story. Top 10 CO 2-emitting countries in the world (Total CO 2 in Mt) - EU JRC 2020 The United States released the second-highest amount of carbon emissions at 4.535 GT, or roughly 12.6% of the total global emissions. This is just over 32% of the world’s total 2020 emissions. China is the largest emitter of CO 2 in the world, with 11680 Mt (11.680 GT) of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions on travel and transportation triggered a decrease to 35.962 GT in 2020, but emissions are expected to resume increasing once 2021 totals become available. Carbon Footprint by CountryĪccording to the European Union's Joint Research Centre, total global CO 2 emissions increased from 34.1 GT in 2010 to 37.9 GT-an all-time high-in 2019. Individual citizens can also reduce their carbon footprint by choosing to walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation instead of driving, using reusable containers or bottles instead of individual plastic ones, reducing overall electricity usage, and eating less red meat. In fact, a few countries have managed to become carbon negative countries that remove even more CO 2 from the air than they add to it. Many countries have pledged to use these and other steps to become carbon neutral, which means they remove as much CO 2 as they release. Methods often employed include generating electricity from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydroelectric) instead of fossil fuels, improving energy efficiency, promoting biofuels in transportation, reducing CO 2 emissions from vehicles, recovering greenhouse gases such as methane from landfills and smokestacks, charging a carbon tax on industries that emit GHGs, and reversing deforestation. Nations can reduce their carbon footprint in many ways. Industries such as manufacturing and meat production are also noted contributors. ![]() This is largely due to their more robust energy industries, which burn large amounts of fossil fuels to provide electricity, and a larger percentage of residents who own their own automobiles, which contribute greatly to emissions. Generally, developed nations have higher carbon footprints and higher CO 2 emissions per country. When discussing emissions on a national or global scale, carbon footprint is typically expressed in units of CO 2-typically metric tons (1,000 kg/2,205 lb = 1 t), million tons (1,000,000 t = 1 Mt) or gigatons (1 billion metric tons/1,000 Mt = 1 GT). This is the scenario unfolding at present, with the main contributor of greenhouse gases being emissions caused by excessive consumption of fossil fuels. However, an overabundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can disrupt Earth’s carbon cycle and accelerate global warming. Greenhouse gases are important in maintaining the Earth’s habitable temperature. A greenhouse gas (GHG) is a gas that absorbs and emits thermal radiation, creating a “greenhouse effect” that traps heat near the Earth’s surface and ultimately warms the planet. A carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions (primarily carbon dioxide and methane) caused by an individual, community, event, organization, service, product, or nation. ![]()
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