What are the world’s top polluting countries? – Healthy Human

The International Panel on Climate Change warns that if we don’t curb our carbon emissions, we could face devastating consequences if the temperature of the atmosphere rises above 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial temperatures. They have reduced the previous global target from 2 degrees Celsius in a special report in 2018, comparing the types of consequences associated with each target. Their findings basically suggest that 1.5 degrees Celsius is already bad enough and best to be avoided.  

The troubling fact is that some of the risks anticipated in the report can already be seen throughout the world today. Droughts and rainfall shortages have caused Chennai, the sixth largest city in India with a population of 10 million people, to suffer from a total lack of water. Excess rainfall in other areas is apparent when you consider the flooding that began mid-March in the midwestern states of the U.S.

The list of countries that produce the greatest are unsurprisingly known for coal and oil production and exportation. Hopefully this list helps us connect the dots between today’s climate change crisis and the complicity of the fossil fuel industries in climate change.

The Worldbank’s most recent data from 2014 shows the top emitters of carbon dioxide in millions of kilotons (kt) added to the atmosphere.

1. China: 10.3m kt

2. United States: 5.3m kt

3. India: 2.2m kt

4. Russia: 1.7m kt

5. Japan: 1.2m kt

6. Germany: 0.7m kt

7. Iran: 0.65m kt

8. Saudi Arabia: 0.6m kt

9. South Korea: 0.59m kt

10. Canada: 0.54m kt

When you adjust the list to evaluate the emissions on a per capita basis, the United State and Canada climb to the top of the chart. According to a Statista report from 2016, using data from the International Monetary Fund, these are the top carbon dioxide emitters per capita in metric tons (t).  

1. United States: 14.95t

2. Canada: 14.91t

3. South Korea: 11.5t

4. Russia: 9.97t

5. Japan: 9.04t

6. Germany: 8.88t

7. China: 6.57t

8. U.K.: 5.65t

9. Italy: 5.37t

10. France: 4.38t