List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita explained

This is a list of sovereign states and territories by per capita carbon dioxide emissions due to certain forms of human activity, based on the EDGAR database created by European Commission. The following table lists the 1970, 1990, 2005, 2017 and 2022 annual per capita emissions estimates (in kilotons of per year).[1]

The data only consider carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and cement manufacture, but not emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry Over the last 150 years, estimated cumulative emissions from land use and land-use change represent approximately one-third of total cumulative anthropogenic emissions.[2] Emissions from international shipping or bunker fuels are also not included in national figures,[3] which can make a large difference for small countries with important ports.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report finds that the "Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU)" sector on average, accounted for 13-21% of global total anthropogenic GHG emissions in the period 2010–2019. Land use change drivers net AFOLU emission fluxes, with deforestation being responsible for 45% of total AFOLU emissions. In addition to being a net carbon sink and source of GHG emissions, land plays an important role in climate through albedo effects, evapotranspiration, and aerosol loading through emissions of volatile organic compounds. The IPCC report finds that the LULUCF sector offers significant near-term mitigation potential while providing food, wood and other renewable resources as well as biodiversity conservation. Mitigation measures in forests and other natural ecosystems provide the largest share of the LULUCF mitigation potential between 2020 and 2050. Among various LULUCF activities, reducing deforestation has the largest potential to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions, followed by carbon sequestration in agriculture and ecosystem restoration including afforestation and reforestation.[4] Land use change emissions can be negative.[5]

According to Science for Policy report in 2023 by the Joint Research Centre (JRC – the European Commission's science and knowledge service) and International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2022, global GHG emissions primarily consisted of, resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels (71.6%).

In 2022, emissions from the top 10 countries with the highest emissions accounted for almost two thirds of the global total. Since 2006, China has been emitting more than any other country.[6] [7] [8] However, the main advantage of measuring total national emissions per capita is that it does take population size into account. China has the largest emissions in the world, but also the largest population. For a fair comparison, emissions should be analyzed in terms of the amount of per capita.[9] Considering CO2 per capita emissions in 2022, China's levels (8.85) are roughly 61% of those of the United States (14.44) and less than a sixth of those of Palau (59.00 – the country with the highest emissions of  per capita).[10]

Measures of territorial-based emissions, also known as production-based emissions, do not account for emissions embedded in global trade, where emissions may be imported or exported in the form of traded goods, as it only reports emissions emitted within geographical boundaries. Accordingly, a proportion of the produced and reported in Asia and Africa is for the production of goods consumed in Europe and North America.[11]

Greenhouse gases (GHG) – primarily carbon dioxide but also others, including methane and chlorofluorocarbons – trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming. Higher temperatures then act on the climate, with varying effects. For example, dry regions might become drier while, at the poles, the ice caps are melting, causing higher sea levels. In 2016, the global average temperature was already 1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels.[12]

According to the review of the scientific literature conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon dioxide is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas by warming contribution.[13] The other major anthropogenic greenhouse gases[14] [15]) are not included in the following list, nor are humans emissions of water vapor, the most important greenhouse gases, as they are negligible compared to naturally occurring quantities.[16]

emissions

See main article: List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions.

Per capita emissions by country/territory

The data in the following table is extracted from EDGAR - Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research.

Country / territory Per capita emissions
(t/cap/year) 		%
total 		Change
(1990=100%)
1970 1990 2005 2017 2022 2022 2022
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 
% % 

emissions per capita embedded in global trade

emissions are typically measured on the basis of ‘production’. This accounting method – which is sometimes referred to as ‘territorial’ emissions – is used when countries report their emissions, and set targets domestically and internationally. In addition to the commonly reported production-based emissions statisticians also calculate ‘consumption-based’ emissions. These emissions are adjusted for trade. To calculate consumption-based emissions, traded goods are tracked across the world, and whenever a good was imported all emissions that were emitted in the production of that good are also imported, and vice versa to subtract all emissions that were emitted in the production of goods that were exported.[17]

Consumption-based emissions reflect the consumption and lifestyle choices of a country's citizens. They are national or regional emissions that have been adjusted for trade, calculated as domestic (or ‘production-based’) emissions minus the emissions generated in the production of goods and services that are exported to other countries or regions, plus emissions from the production of goods and services that are imported.[18]

This is measured as the net import-export balance in tons of per year. Positive values represent netimporters of . Negative values represent net exporters of .[19]

The data in the following table is extracted from Our World in Data database.[20]

Country / territory Production vs. consumption-based emissions per capita
(t/cap) 		emissions
embedded in
global trade
(t/cap)
1990 2005 2017 2020 2021 2020
P C P C P C P C P C C-P (C-P)/P (%) Net
% importer
% exporter
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% exporter
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% exporter
% exporter
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% importer
% importer
% exporter
% exporter
=
% exporter
% importer
% importer
%
Africa % exporter
Asia % exporter
Asia (excl. China and India) % exporter
Europe % importer
Europe (excl. EU-27) % exporter
Europe (excl. EU-28) % exporter
European Union (27) % importer
European Union (28) % importer
North America % importer
North America (excl. USA) % exporter
Oceania % exporter
South America % exporter
Low-income countries % exporter
Lower-middle-income countries % exporter
Upper-middle-income countries % exporter
High-income countries % importer

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Crippa, M. . Guizzardi, D. . Pagani, F. . Banja, M. . Muntean, M. . Schaaf, E. . Becker, W. . Monforti-Ferrario, F. . Quadrelli, R. . Risquez Martin, A. . Taghavi-Moharamli, P. . Köykkä, J. . Grassi, G. . Rossi, S. . Brandao De Melo, J. . Oom, D. . Branco, A. . San-Miguel, J. . Vignati, E. . GHG emissions of all world countries – 2023 . Publications Office of the European Union . Luxembourg . 2023 . 10.2760/953322 . 2023-11-01.
  2. Benjamin . Quesada . Almut . Arneth . Eddy . Robertson . Nathalie . de Noblet-Ducoudré . Potential strong contribution of future anthropogenic land-use and land-cover change to the terrestrial carbon cycle . Environmental Research Letters . 13 . 6 . 10.1088/1748-9326/aac4c3. free .
  3. Schrooten . L . Inventory and forecasting of maritime emissions in the Belgian sea territory, an activity based emission model . Atmospheric Environment . 42 . 667–676 . 2008 . 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.09.071 . 2008AtmEn..42..667S . De Vlieger . Ina . Int Panis . Luc . Styns, R. Torfs . K . Torfs . R. 4 . 93958844 .
  4. Web site: . Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) . unfccc.int . 2023-11-01.
  5. Web site: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions . Our World in Data . 2023-11-01.
  6. Web site: China's Emissions: More Than U.S. Plus Europe, and Still Rising . . 2018-01-25.
  7. News: Chinese coal fuels rise in global carbon emissions . . 2017-11-14 . 2023-09-22.
  8. Web site: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency . China now no. 1 in emissions; USA in second position . pbl.nl . Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, nl . https://web.archive.org/web/20140815113444/http://www.pbl.nl/en/dossiers/Climatechange/Chinanowno1inCO2emissionsUSAinsecondposition . 2014-08-15.
  9. Web site: Roser . Max . Ritchie . Hannah . CO2 and other Greenhouse Gas Emissions . Our World in Data . https://web.archive.org/web/20190704093506/https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions . 4 July 2019 . 11 May 2017.
  10. Web site: Ritchie . Hannah . Roser . Max . Per capita CO2 emissions . Our World in Data . 2023-11-01.
  11. Web site: Ritchie . Hannah . Roser . Max . Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) emissions . Our World in Data . 2023-11-01.
  12. Web site: Klugman . Cornelia . The EU, a world leader in fighting climate change . European Parliament Think Tank . 2023-11-01 .
  13. Summary for Policymakers. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM_final.pdf . IPCC . IPCC . 2021 . Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis . 978-92-9169-158-6.
  14. Grubb, M.. July–September 2003. The economics of the Kyoto protocol. World Economics. 4. 3. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717152152/http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/rstaff/grubb/publications/J36.pdf. 17 July 2011.
  15. Web site: Environmental issues: essential primary sources. Lerner & K. Lee Lerner. Brenda Wilmoth. 2006. Thomson Gale. 11 September 2006.
  16. Web site: Are our water vapour emissions warming the climate?. 2018-11-15. Physics World. 2020-01-19.
  17. Web site: Hannah . Ritchie . How do CO2 emissions compare when we adjust for trade? . ourworldindata.org . . 2023-11-01.
  18. Web site: Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? 2020 . ourworldindata.org . . 2023-11-01.
  19. Web site: CO₂ emissions embedded in global trade . ourworldindata.org . . 2023-11-01.
  20. Web site: Production vs. consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita . ourworldindata.org . . 2023-11-01.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.