Per capita emissions
How high are my emissions in comparison to other people in our the world? Am I part of the problem? Understanding per capita emissions helps me answer these questions and motivates me to act personally, locally and nationally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions here in the United States.
I’ve had conversations with people who suggest climate change solutions must first get China to take action to bring down their emissions, and without action by China (sometimes expressed as China and India), anything we do in the United States isn’t important.
China does emit more greenhouse gas than any other country. Not too surprising since China has the largest population. The United States has the second highest annual emission with the third largest population. And India has the second largest population, while their emissions are lower than the United States and lower than the European Union.
Understanding the emissions per each person helps me better understand the national emissions data. China’s per capita emissions, or emissions per person, were 7.1 tons per person per year in 2019 - half of the per capita emissions in the United States at 14.4 tons per person per year. And India’s per capita emissions were 1.7 tons per person per year.
Per capita emission data frames the issue differently for me. It focuses my attention on just how high our typical emissions are here in the United States (as well as Canada and Australia). I have found ways to cut a few tons of CO2 emissions from my annual emissions and if Americans concerned about climate change would all join in, our choices, our purchase decisions in the market place, along with our advocacy can lead to real, sustained reductions in emissions.
The reductions I am achieving come both from personal choices and from government actions I support. My personal choices include changing my diet, changing to driving hybrid and electric vehicles, changing the vacation destinations I desire to ones I can drive to, and putting solar panels on my house. These changes have not lowered my standard of living. The government actions include the passage of a state law in North Carolina, my home state, directing our Utility Commission to modernize our grid and reduce the emissions from the generation of electricity. Unfortunately, I believe our federal government has not stepped forward with policies that matches the scale of the problem we face, even though I have used my time to talk with my Representatives and Senators and their staff about suggested policies that I support.
I continue to choose my daily actions, evaluate candidates for elected positions, and express my opinions to decision makers with the goal of driving down US per capita emissions (and US total emissions).
Global emissions per person are 4.4 tons per person per year. To cut global emissions 50% by 2030 and to near zero emissions by 2050, there is a lot of work we need to focus on right here in the United States where our per person emissions are over 3 times the global average - actions in my house, my town, my state and my country. I believe we need a solid start on reducing our personal emissions in the United States to act in good faith negotiating international agreements with other countries.
Understanding our per capita emissions motivates me to act within the United States, within North Carolina, within my town and within my house to lower emissions where I have the most impact. And, yes, we need international treaties and international initiatives to invest in and build out clean energy grids in developing economies, but let’s accept responsibility for our actions right here as we encourage our federal government to negotiate with other countries.
NOTE: 2019 per capita emissions data from IEA https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/co2-emissions-per-capita-in-selected-countries-and-regions-2000-2020