Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have released more than 1.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the Earth's atmosphere. In 2019, it pumped out an additional $37 billion. This is 50 percent more than it was in 2000 and nearly three times more than 50 years ago. In addition to CO2, Emissions of other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also increasing. Combined, all greenhouse gases emit the equivalent of 51 Billion Tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. And emissions continue to rise. But they should be zero. In recent years, the consequences have become more serious and visible.

Some terrible records are broken almost every year. Heat waves increased, glaciers melted the most, and the Arctic recorded the least amount of ice. Of the final 24 years, 20 had been the freshest on record. The only way to limit this rapid climate change is to rapidly reduce our total emissions. But while all Countries agree in principle on this target, they disagree on who should be responsible and who should bear the heaviest burden. It refers to its own efforts and the fact that large emerging developing countries, including China, are now emitting significantly more CO2.

Developing countries, on the other hand, argue that Western emissions are lifestyle emissions, whereas for developing countries they are survival emissions. Some call rich countries that have made their wealth out of rampant pollution hypocrites, but now expect other countries to remain poor and unindustrialized. So who is responsible for climate change and CO2 emissions? And who needs to do the most today, regardless of the past?

Question 1/3: Which country emits the most carbon dioxide today?

In 2017, humans emitted approximately 36 Billion Tonnes of CO2. Over 50 meters from Asia.

North America and Europe followed at 18% and he at 17%.

On the other hand, Africa, South America and Oceania together contributed just 8%.

China is by far the world's largest emitter, emitting 10 billion tons of CO2 annually, or her 27% of global emissions.

This is followed by the US at 15% and the EU at about 10%. Together, this makes up more than half of her CO2 emissions globally.

It is consequently clean that with out the need and movement of those 3 business blocs, humanity will now no longer be capable of turn out to be carbon impartial and save you excessive weather change.

India at 7%, Russia at 5%, Japan at 3%, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Canada, all at just under 2%.

Together with the top three companies, the top 10 companies account for 75% of global emissions.

Question 2/3: Which country has the highest overall emissions?

Looking at emissions from history to the present, the outlook changes dramatically. Both the US and EU are pushing China out of the top spot.

The United States has historically accounted for her 25% of global emissions, primarily she emitted her 400 billion tones in the 20th century.

The EU is second with 22%. China comes in third with just under 13%, about half that of the United States. India's contribution, along with Africa and South America as a whole, he shrinks to 3%.

The UK is responsible for 1% of global annual emissions, but her 5% of historical responsibility.

Germany, which currently accounts for 2% of annual emissions, accounts for almost 6%, the equivalent of all of Africa and South America combined.

So if the facts matter to you, the narrative that rapid climate change is actually the responsibility of developing countries is hard to defend. This is because her focus on countries is a mix of two elements: Number of population and general emissions. In general, the more populated a country is, the more emissions there will be, of course. When you look at people like you, it looks very different.

Question 3/3: Which country has the highest per capita carbon footprint?

The Average human emits about 5 tons of CO2 each year, but average numbers can be misleading. The country with the highest CO2 emissions per capita is he, the world's largest oil and gas producer.

In 2017, Qatar recorded the highest emissions for her at a whopping 49 tones per capita, followed by Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. But these are outliers. Australians are one of the countries with the highest per capita carbon footprint. 17 Tonnes per year. This is more than three times the global average and just above the average US and Canadian average of 16 Tonnes.

Germany is slightly ahead of her by just under 10 Tonnes, but still doubles her on the world average.

China is the world's largest emitter as well as the world's most populous country with her over 1.4 Billion people, her 18.5% of the world's population.

An average of 7 Tonnes per person. CO2 emissions are closely related to historically high living standards. One of the most powerful signs of our carbon footprint is wealth. Because as we move from poor to rich, we will have access to electricity, heating, air conditioning, lighting, modern cuisine, cars and planes, smart phones, computers, and will be able to interact with people on the planet. It's from the whole planet world, the world on the Internet.

China's massive increase in CO2 emissions is associated with the greatest poverty reduction in history. When we rank carbon emissions by income, we find that the countries in the richest half account for 86% of global emissions, while those in the bottom half account for only 14% of her.

The average German produces more than five times as much as the average Indian.

In just 2.3 days, the average American excretes as much as the average Nigerian excretes in her one year.

Not only that, but the harsh reality is that it is the countries that contribute the least to the problem that will lose the most to rapid climate change. Developing nations might be hit hardest. The result can be food insecurity, resource conflicts, more difficult and frequent natural disasters, and large-scale climate refugee movements.

Question 4/3: Who should take the responsibility?

Many of today's richest countries are well positioned. They were enriched by centuries of burning fossil fuels and industrial production. They have a large historical footprint and their wealth means they still emit a lot per capita.

As the world's largest nations are approaching, their national annual emissions are now small compared to other countries. But I'm wondering how it can have a big impact on reducing emissions. The answer is simple. For example, the richest countries have the resources, highly skilled workforces, and technology to develop and deploy low-cost, low-carbon solutions around the world. If we don't want poor countries to become as dependent on fossil fuels as we are, we need low-carbon technologies that are cheap and available. And we get there.

The cost of renewable energy is falling rapidly, and different solutions are emerging in different sectors. But it has to go faster. If the wealthy countries of the West decide to take rapid climate change seriously, the rest of the world will follow because they have no choice.

Just like when the European Union was enforcing energy efficiency standards for their technology, the rest of the world also wanted to keep trading with blocks, so they adopted them. is not exempt. China is today the largest carbon emitter and has a growing responsibility to enable a timely transition to a zero-carbon world. Others who acted irresponsibly yesterday are a terrible excuse to repeat the same mistakes today. Climate change is a global problem and no country can solve it alone.

Finding out who is to blame isn't as easy as it seems, and in some ways it's a silly question, but it's one that has plagued international politics for decades. Everyone should do their best, but not everyone is doing it at the moment. But you can start today.