This year, it took less than a month for the average American’s carbon emissions to outstrip the average annual usage of people in more than 60 countries.
According to a Center for Global Development (CGD) analysis, wealthier nations’ energy use — and therefore pollution levels — will dominate greenhouse gas emission levels in 2022.
For example, the average American lifestyle is expected to contribute to 100 times more carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere than the average Ugandan citizen this year.
How Many More Emissions Come From Americans?
The figures come despite the United States’ overall CO2 emissions experiencing a downward trend since peaking in 2007. In 2020, the U.S. generated 4.6 billion tons of CO2 emissions, down from 6 billion tons in 2007. However, the COVID-19 pandemic skews 2020’s figures.
Wyoming is the United States’ most polluting state with 109.9 tons of CO2 produced per person, followed by North Dakota (77.7 tons), West Virginia (49.8 tons), and Alaska (47.6 tons).
In 2019, Texas produced almost a quarter of the United States’ energy and was the country’s largest overall carbon emitter. The Lone Star state came in 12th on the CO2 per capita list, with 23.9 tons of CO2 produced per person, thanks to its population density.
How Does the U.S. Compare to Other Nations?
Suppose we spread the United States’ anticipated CO2 emissions evenly over a year. In that case, it will take just a few days for the average American to exceed the emissions people in many poorer countries produce in a whole year.
In just 24 hours, the average American’s emissions exceed those of someone living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a year. It takes a week for a U.S. citizen’s emissions to be greater than those of a person living in one of 23 lower-income countries.
By the end of January, the average American’s emissions outstripped residents of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, and Guatemala, to name a few.
To put that in perspective, a 2019 report commissioned by the California Energy Commission estimated California’s gamers’ electricity use to reach 11 terawatt-hours by 2021 — more than the whole of Zimbabwe used that year.
Comparing CO2 Emissions by Country
The Middle East oil-producing states with relatively small populations occupy the first six places in the carbon dioxide emissions per person table.
Canada is the next leading CO2-emitting country per person, with 15.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide produced for each resident every year. Canada is closely followed by Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Luxembourg, with the United States ranking 11th, with 15.2 metric tons per person per year.
By comparison, the average German resident produces 8.6 metric tons of CO2 per person per year, a United Kingdom citizen some 5.4 tons, with 7.4 tons produced per person in China.
North America’s 15.3 metric tons per person per year makes it the highest-polluting continent using this metric. The OECD nations produce 8.8 metric tons per person, and the European Union countries average 6.4 metric tons per person.
Will Poorer Countries’ Emissions Rise Soon?
Access to energy is linked to income, with poorer people more likely to be unable to access power. Some 940 million people worldwide don’t have access to electricity. Three billion people, 40% of the world’s population, cannot access clean fuels for cooking.
Fifty-two of the lowest-income countries, home to almost one-fifth of the world’s population, are responsible for just 1.6% of global CO2 emissions.
Poorer countries are expected to increase their energy demands in the coming years. Indeed, some developing nations have fossil-fuel-based energy projects in the pipeline.
However, even if these nations’ economies experienced rapid growth while maintaining their current CO2 emission intensity, they would still only account for 8% of worldwide emissions by 2030.
Almost all carbon-emission scenarios — from developed nations hitting net-zero by 2050 to massive fossil fuel expansion in Africa — result in the 52 lowest-income countries producing a fraction of global CO2 emissions.
How Might the United States Respond to CO2 Emission Levels?
The information comes hot on the heels of a U.S. judge annulling the auction of oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Following a challenge by environmental group Earthjustice, the judge ruled the Interior Department hadn’t correctly accounted for the lease sales’ global-warming impact.
An appeal from the drilling industry is expected. Still, the decision shows how the climate change conversation is seeping into all areas of the energy sector. Federal lands and waters are home to around 25% of all United States gas and oil production.
President Biden has also promised to make the United States a net-zero emissions country by 2050.
Energy and Emissions’ Disparities Laid Bare
The emissions produced by the average American lifestyle show how a combination of energy production techniques and personal choice drive climate change.
Many countries have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and show a willingness to transition to cleaner energy. However, the issue is two-fold. Richer countries drive global warming and are in danger of climate hypocrisy over emissions. Under currently planned policies, worldwide energy demand is set to increase by 40% by 2050.
Energy efficiency and lifestyle choices will be as important as how we produce energy, as well as more awareness of which countries are really responsible for rising carbon dioxide emissions.
Opinion writer: Tom Shearman
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