Top countries that are affected by co2 emissions

Global Carbon Project. "Per capita carbon dioxide emissions worldwide in 2022, by country (in metric tons) [Graph], Global Carbon Project, December 5, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/270508/co2-emissions-per-capita-by-country/

Human activity is one of the main causes of global warming because of its very high greenhouse gas emissions. But are all countries involved? And if not, which pollute the most?? There are different ways of ranking the most polluting countries, depending on the calculation method used: CO2 emissions, per capita, ecological footprint...

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Who are the most polluting countries in the world?

The three countries with the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are, unsurprisingly, the three most industrialised countries in the world: China, the United States, and India. However, their carbon footprint per capita tells a very different story.

Top 10 most polluting countries 2022

In 2020, global carbon emissions reached 32 billion tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere, a record that is likely to be quickly overtaken, as the projected trajectory of future emissions doesn’t predict any decrease.

The most densely populated and industrialised countries are therefore at the top of the list of the world's most polluted countries. The three countries with the highest CO2 emissions are:

1. China with 9.9 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions, largely due to the export of consumer goods and its heavy reliance on coal;
2. The United States with 4.4 billion tonnes of CO2 emitted;
3. India with 2.3 billion tonnes of CO2 emitted.

The most polluting countries in EuropeGermany is the European country with the highest CO2 emissions, due to its heavy dependence on coal, and contributes to over ¼ of the entire European Union’s total CO2 emissions.

Most polluting countries per capita 2022

Source: Statistica

It is important to differentiate the national inventory, divided by the number of inhabitants in this case, from the carbon footprint. For example, the UK’s national inventory per capita is 7.01 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, while its carbon footprint was equivalent to 11.8 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The three most polluting countries per capita are all located in the Arabian Peninsula. This is due to two factors:

• The large share of the oil industry in their economies;
• Their small populations.

Although India is the third most polluting country in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted, it does not appear in the ranking of the 10 most polluting countries per capita. In fact, India is making considerable efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by investing in the development of renewable energies. Selectra has decided to support India in its energy transition by building a wind farm with the Gandhi Project. Thanks in part to the location of the wind farm and its purpose to replace traditional - yet highly polluting - energy generation, each euro invested has a huge impact on not only the country but also the planet.

An “ecological footprint” is the pressure put on the planet to meet the needs of the people that live there. You can have your own personal ecological footprint, a country can have an ecological footprint, and the entire human population has a global ecological footprint. Currently, to meet the needs of the entire human population, we actually need 1.7 Planet Earths in order to remain sustainable.

The global ecological footprint is getting worse and worse. In 2021, the date of the Overshoot Day, i.e. the annual date from which humanity has spent all the resources that the planet can generate in one year, was 29 July, compared to 30 September in 1996. In 2020, it was 22 August. This three-week setback from the previous year is due to the COVID health crisis and the measures taken as a result.

Singapore's ecological footprint is therefore 99.5 times the biocapacity that its territory provides.

Air pollution

Global CO2 emissions continue to accumulate in the atmosphere and have already caused about 1°C of global warming since the industrial revolution.

Despite the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement - avoid a 2ºC increase to the global temperature by the end of the century through the drastic reduction of CO2 emissions by signatory countries - and the alarming IPCC reports on the state of the planet, not all countries have made the environment a priority yet.

What are the top 5 CO2 emitting countries?

Carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, has become a major concern as climate change becomes a bigger issue. The top five CO2-producing nations in 2021 were China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan.

Which countries have the worst CO2 emissions?

In the ranking below you can find the 10 countries that produce the most emissions, measured in millions of tons of CO2 in 2019..

China, with more than 10,065 million tons of CO2 released..

United States, with 5,416 million tons of CO2..

India, with 2,654 million tons of CO2..

Russia, with 1,711 million tons of CO2..

What 2 countries had the highest CO2 emission rates?

China and the United States are the biggest carbon polluters in the world by far, having released 11.4 and 5.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂) in 2022, respectively. Although the U.S. is the second-biggest emitter, its CO₂ emissions have reduced by 11 percent since 2010.

Which 3 countries have the highest per capita emission of CO2?

CO2 Emissions per Capita.