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Visualizing Global Per Capita CO2 Emissions

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Highest Per Capita CO2 Emissions

This was originally published on December 1, 2021, on Visual Capitalist.

Developing countries like China, India, and Russia are some of the highest producers of CO2 worldwide and will be so for a while. But the situation is far from straightforward—and looking at CO2 emissions per capita can add nuance to the overall story.

Based on data presented by the Aqal Group and the IEA, here we visualize the countries and regions with the highest per capita carbon emissions from around the world.

Let’s dive into the highest per capita carbon emitters and how they are trying to reduce their carbon contributions.

Leaders in Per Capita CO2 Emissions

Oil-producing countries in the Middle East are the highest emitters of CO2 on a per capita basis, but developed countries like the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Canada also have some of the higher rates of per capita emissions.

RankCountry or RegionCarbon Emissions Per Capita (t/year)
#1Middle East A*19.5
#2Canada15.2
#3Saudi Arabia14.5
#4United States14.4
#5Australia & New Zealand13.6
#6Russia11.4
#7South Korea11.3
#8Kazakhstan & Turkmenistan11.2
#9Taiwan10.8
#10Japan8.4
Global Average4.4

*Middle East A group includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates

Canada and the United States have per capita carbon footprints of 15.2 and 14.4 tonnes per year, respectively. Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand combine for an average per capita footprint of over 13.6 tonnes per year.

It’s worth noting that all of these numbers are more than three times higher than the global average, which in 2019 was 4.4 tonnes per person.

Energy Sources and Per Capita CO2 Emissions

Since there is a strong relationship between wealth and per capita CO2 emissions, we’d expect countries with high living standards to have a high carbon footprint.

But the data above shows significant differences in per capita emissions, even between countries with similar living standards. Many countries across Europe, for example, have much lower emissions than the U.S., Canada, or Australia.

Here’s a look at the top 25 countries by standard of living and their share of electricity production from fossil fuels:

RankCountryPer Capita Electricity
Consumption (kWh)
% Electricity Production
(from fossil fuels)
1🇫🇮 Finland12,17415.6%
2🇩🇰 Denmark5,01521.8%
3🇳🇴 Norway26,4921.2%
4🇧🇪 Belgium7,41434.6%
5🇸🇪 Sweden16,4782.2%
6🇨🇭 Switzerland7,9351.0%
7🇳🇱 Netherlands7,26471.5%
8🇫🇷 France8,0979.5%
9🇩🇪 Germany6,77143.8%
10🇯🇵 Japan7,44669.1%
11🇬🇧 United Kingdom4,50040.7%
12🇨🇦 Canada16,64816.6%
13🇰🇷 South Korea10,45865.8%
14🇺🇸 United States12,23560.1%
15🇹🇼 Taiwan11,09182.8%
16🇦🇹 Austria7,71620.7%
17🇦🇺 Australia9,85775.1%
18🇮🇪 Ireland6,40859.3%
19🇸🇬 Singapore8,54296.7%
20🇪🇸 Spain5,64134.4%
21🇮🇹 Italy4,55456.8%
22🇨🇿 Czech Republic7,53450.7%
23🇵🇹 Portugal5,10041.2%
24🇳🇿 New Zealand8,88018.9%
25🇱🇺 Luxembourg1,52928.5%

Sources: Electricity consumption, Fossil fuel mix

The choice of energy sources plays a key role here. In the UK, Portugal, and France, a much higher share of electricity is produced from nuclear and renewable sources.

For example, only 9.5% of France’s electricity production comes from fossil fuels, compared to other developed countries like the U.S. at 60.1% and Japan at 69.1%.

G20 Countries and Carbon Emissions

This reliance on fossil fuels for energy production extends to the rest of the G20 countries. According to the Climate Transparency Report, CO2 emissions will rise by 4% across the G20 group this year, dropping 6% in 2020 due to the pandemic.

This rise is mainly due to the increase in coal consumption across these countries. Coal consumption is projected to rise by almost 5% in 2021, with this growth driven by China (accounting for 61% of the growth), the U.S. (18%), and India (17%).

Here’s a look at the current coal power capacity of each G20 country:

coal power capacity of g20 members

Coal use in China has surged, with the country experiencing increased demand for energy as the global economy has recovered. Coal prices are up nearly 200% from a year ago.

Plans to Tackle Emissions

The conclusion of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow saw several pledges and announcements being made by various countries. Here are some of the highlights:

  • The world’s biggest CO2 emitters, the U.S. and China, pledged to cooperate more over the next decade in areas including methane emissions and the switch to clean energy.
  • Leaders from more than 100 countries—with about 85% of the world’s forests—promised to stop deforestation by 2030.
  • More than 100 countries agreed upon a scheme to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030.
  • Financial organizations have agreed to back renewable energy and direct finance away from fossil fuel-burning industries.

Many countries have pledged to do their part to tackle climate change. It will be an impressive display of global unity if global CO2 emissions drop significantly over the next decade.

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Decarbonization

Visualized: Carbon Pricing Initiatives in North America

We map out all of the national and subnational carbon pricing initiatives in North America using data from the World Bank.

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Visualized: Carbon Pricing Initiatives in North America

Carbon pricing mechanisms are a vital component of an effective emissions reduction strategy. But these initiatives currently cover just 15% of total North American carbon emissions.

To discover which initiatives are currently contributing to this coverage, this graphic sponsored by the National Public Utilities Council maps out all of the national and subnational carbon pricing initiatives across North America using data from the World Bank.

Let’s begin by looking at types of carbon pricing.

Carbon Pricing Explained

Carbon pricing is a market-based policy tool that assigns a cost to carbon emissions, incentivizing reductions through the use of economic signals.

While there are several ways to go about carbon pricing, the most commonly used types of carbon pricing strategies include:

  • Emissions Trading Systems (ETS)
    ETS establishes a market for trading emissions allowances among companies. A cap on total emissions is set, and all companies receive tradable emission units. Those exceeding their limits can buy allowances from those with a surplus.
  • Carbon Taxes
    Carbon taxes impose a direct price on carbon emissions. Their goal is to disincentivize carbon-intensive activities, such as burning fossil fuels, by making them financially less attractive.

In 2022, carbon pricing strategies generated $5 billion in the U.S. and $8 billion in Canada. These funds were primarily allocated toward green investments and support for low-income households.

Carbon Pricing Initiatives By Country

The U.S. is currently the only country in North America without a national carbon pricing initiative. Both Canada and Mexico, on the other hand, have implemented federal ETS and carbon tax programs.

Beyond federal initiatives, many regions on the continent have also implemented or are considering their own carbon pricing initiatives. These subnational initiatives are listed in the table below:

RegionCarbon Pricing InitiativeStatus
🇨🇦 Alberta, CanadaETSImplemented, 2007
🇨🇦 British Columbia, Canada Carbon tax and ETS Implemented, 2008 and 2016
🇨🇦 Manitoba, CanadaCarbon tax and ETS Under Consideration
🇨🇦 New Brunswick, CanadaCarbon tax and ETS Implemented, 2020 and 2021
🇨🇦 Newfoundland and Labrador, CanadaCarbon tax and ETS Implemented, both 2019
🇨🇦 Northwest Territories, CanadaCarbon taxImplemented, 2019
🇨🇦 Nova Scotia, CanadaETSImplemented, 2019
🇨🇦 Ontario, CanadaETSImplemented, 2022
🇨🇦 Prince Edward Island, CanadaCarbon taxImplemented, 2019
🇨🇦 Quebec, CanadaETSImplemented, 2013
🇨🇦 Saskatchewan, CanadaETSImplemented, 2019
🇺🇸 California, U.S.A.ETSImplemented, 2012
🇺🇸 Hawaii, U.S.A.Carbon taxUnder Consideration
🇺🇸 Massachusetts, U.S.A.ETSImplemented, 2018
🇺🇸 New York, U.S.A.ETSUnder Consideration
🇺🇸 North Carolina, U.S.A.ETSUnder Consideration
🇺🇸 Oregon, U.S.A.ETSImplemented, 2021
🇺🇸 Pennsylvania, U.S.A.ETSUnder Consideration
🇺🇸 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)*ETSImplemented, 2009
🇺🇸 Washington, U.S.A.ETSImplemented, 2023
🇲🇽 Durango, Mexico Carbon taxImplemented, 2023
🇲🇽 Guanajuato, Mexico Carbon taxScheduled, 2023
🇲🇽 Jalisco, Mexico Carbon taxUnder Consideration
🇲🇽 Queretaro, Mexico Carbon taxImplemented, 2022
🇲🇽 State of Mexico, Mexico Carbon taxImplemented, 2022
🇲🇽 Yucatan, Mexico Carbon taxImplemented, 2022
🇲🇽 Zacatecas, Mexico Carbon taxImplemented, 2017

The RGGI was the first mandatory ETS initiative in the U.S. and applies to power plants in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

Since its inception, emissions in the RGGI region fell by more than 50%—twice as fast as the nation as a whole—and raised nearly $6 billion to invest in local communities.

Are All Carbon Pricing Initiatives Created Equal?

In the landscape of carbon pricing initiatives, one critical factor stands out—the price of carbon itself.

According to The High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices, achieving alignment between carbon pricing strategies and the Paris Agreement temperature target requires a price of US$40–80/tCO2 by 2020 and US$50–100/tCO2 by 2030.

Unfortunately, many North American initiatives fall short of these prices, especially in the U.S. and Mexico, where carbon prices reach as low as US$12/tCO2e. Conversely, most Canadian initiatives set a price of US$48/tCO2e.

It’s also important to note that the broader impact of these initiatives depends on a multitude of other factors, including the industries they cover, their flexibility in accommodating changing economic conditions, and the manner in which generated revenue is invested back into sustainable practices.

Within the balance of these various elements lies the potential to steer all industries—including the power sector—toward the necessary emissions reductions.

Learn more about how electric utilities and the power sector can lead on the path toward decarbonization here.

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Clean Energy

Visualizing Clean Energy and Emissions Goals by State

An overview of each U.S. state’s ultimate clean energy or GHG emission reduction goal, broken down by goal type and target year.

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Visualized: Clean Energy and Emissions Goals by State

In its Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement, the U.S. set a target of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, as well as achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035.

To discover how each state is contributing to these goals, this graphic sponsored by the National Public Utilities Council provides an overview of each state’s ultimate clean energy or GHG emission reduction goal.

Varying Commitments

An analysis of the aggregated data by S&P Commodity Insights reveals a broad spectrum of clean energy and emission reduction goals in the United States.

While some states have more ambitious goals of attaining 100% clean energy by 2040, others, such as Ohio, have opted for more modest and short-term targets, aiming to achieve 8.5% renewable electricity by 2026.

Eleven states, or 22%, have never set clean energy or emission reduction goals. These states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Similarly, another ten states (20%) have expired goals with target dates as far back as 2015. These ten states, including the Dakotas, Missouri, Kansas, Montana, and Oklahoma, have not reset their goals since.

Shares of Clean Energy by State

To get a glimpse into how far each state has to go in achieving its goal, a snapshot of the use of clean electricity in each state is shown below.

Using data from the Nuclear Energy Insitute, the bars show each state’s 2021 share of emission-free electricity broken down by nuclear and various renewables.

While clean electricity made up 70% or more of the electricity mix in several states, nuclear and renewable energy sources comprised approximately 40% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2021.

To hit its 100% carbon-free electricity goal, therefore, the U.S. needs a minimum 4.3% annual increase in clean electricity generation through 2035. For context, an average annual growth of 2.4% was observed in the last five years.

On the GHG reduction side of things, emissions were 17% below 2005 levels in 2021, showing the need for an additional 35% reduction by 2030.

As these figures show, achieving the ambitious clean energy and emissions reduction goals in the U.S. will require a significant ramp-up of clean electricity generation in the upcoming years, along with accelerated decarbonization efforts across all sectors.

Click here to learn more about how electric utilities and the power sector can lead on the path toward decarbonization.

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