Greenpeace: America’s Share of the Climate Crisis
Global warming is an urgent crisis that demands immediate action to prevent climate catastrophe. The consequences of inaction are far too great, and the time remaining to reduce those consequences is running out.
This study aims to shed light on the United States’ responsibility for taking the lead to solve global warming as a result of its outsized role in causing the problem in the first place. Using data from the Carbon Analysis Indicators Tool maintained by the World Resources Institute, the analysis examines state-by-state carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion from 1960-2005 and compares those emissions to 184 other countries of the world.
Download the report here. (PDF)
Joe Romm has identified some highlights:
* Historically, no nation has emitted more global warming pollution than the United States. From 1960-2005, the U.S. emitted 213,608 MtCO2, 26% of total global emissions. The next biggest polluter, China, emitted 88,643 MtCO2 over the same time frame, 10.7% of global emissions.
* The U.S. also exceeded almost every other nation in per capita emissions. Per capita, the U.S. emitted 720 tons of CO2 per person per year from 1960-2005. This is more than ten times China’s per capita emissions (68 tons of CO2) during the same period, and ninety times the per capita emissions of Kenya (7.7 tCO2). Even considered individually, the 50 U.S. states are among the nations that are the largest emitters of carbon dioxide on earth.
* Even considered individually, the 50 U.S. states are among the nation that are the largest emitters of carbon dioxide on Earth.
* The average U.S. state emitted 4,449 MtCO2 from 1960-2005, which would rank 30th among the nations of the world. The combined historic emissions of just seven states—Texas, California, Illinois, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio—totalled 96,517 MtCO2, more than any other country in the world, including China (92,950).
* If Texas were its own country, it would rank sixth out of 184 countries in the world in total emissions, trailing just China, Russia, Germnay, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
