The World’s 10 Biggest Polluters

A key driver in the U.S. and Germany was legislation aimed at limiting carbon dioxide emissions. This helped spur rapid growth in renewable energy usage in both countries, which helped lower demand for coal.

But in the U.S., an even larger driver in reducing coal consumption was the shale gas boom, which created enormous supplies of cheap natural gas. Over the past decade, consumption of renewable power in the U.S. rose by 349 terawatt-hours (TWh). Over that same span, power from natural gas increased by 696 TWh — nearly double the renewable energy contribution. Related: OPEC+ Agrees To Deeper Output Cuts

The U.S., in fact has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than any other country since the Kyoto Protocol, while China has increased emissions by more than any other country.

It should be noted that the U.S. is first among countries when it comes to responsibility for historical carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. However, given China’s current emissions and the trends, they will pass the U.S. in the overall CO2 contribution to the atmosphere in a little more than a decade.

It also remains true that China’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions are much lower than those in the U.S. In 2018, annual emissions in the U.S. stood at 16 metric tons per person, while those in China were 8 metric tons per person. However, since 1980 per capita emissions in the U.S. have fallen by 20%, while they have more than quintupled in China.

Thus, it is clear that the U.S. bears responsibility for its share of the atmospheric carbon dioxide inventory. However, China now emits more than the next three countries combined, and emissions there continue to grow. China is therefore the single most important country when it comes to curbing carbon dioxide emissions. What China does — or doesn’t do — will largely determine the failure or success of the Paris Accord in reining in global carbon dioxide emissions.

By Robert Rapier

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