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China will soon emit more GHGs than US
As shown in the illustration below, the US emits more greenhouse gases than any other nation or consortium of nations; however, China is not far behind and will soon pass the US.
Although the US emits more greenhouse gases than any other nation, it shares the lead with Australia and Canada for the worst per-capita emitters. This group of worst greenhouse gas per-capita emitters can be compared to a group of low greenhouse gas emitter nations with comparable economies (France, Japan, UK, and Germany). A comparison is given in the figure below of energy and economic measures for the high and low-emitter nation groups. The average greenhouse gas emissions per capita of the worst emitter nations is almost two and one-half times greater than the average for the four low-emission nations. The emission rate is closely linked to energy usage and the cost of energy. Notice that the energy usage per capita for the worst group is twice that for the low-emission group. This observation is not surprising. Greenhouse gas emissions are dominated by burning fossil fuels to obtain energy for automobiles, electrical power plants, and industrial processes. (Agricultural practices and land use also make significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.) Also, the price of gasoline and electricity for the worst emitter nations is about half that for the low emitter nations. The apparent message is that when energy is cheap, there is little incentive to be more efficient. Some argue that cheap energy is necessary to drive the economy; however, the figure below shows that the average GNP per capita is virtually the same for the worst and low-emitter nations.
Is it that simple? Not entirely. To some extent, as shown in the figure below, the low-emitter nations have made greater use of non-fossil fuels. France, in particular, has made extensive use of nuclear power for electricity. Canada, on the other hand produces most of its electricity using hydro-power. Australia's gasoline prices are higher than other high-emission nations and they drive fewer miles per capita than U.S. citizens or Canadians; however, their electricity costs are relatively cheap and they rely almost entirely on fossil fuels for electrical power. The deeper message from this analysis is that we need to apply all of our resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; i.e., more efficient energy use (encouraged by higher energy costs for fossil fuels), alternative energy sources, changes to agricultural practices, and changes to land use trends (e.g., deforestation).
Is "per-capita" the best indicator of emissions? Although per capita emissions are an important metric, it does not tell the whole story. For example, the US shares the lead of worst per capita emitter with Canada and Australia, but the US emits far more greenhouse gases because it is a much more populous nation than Canada and Australia. China is a relatively low per capita emitter because its consumption per capita is far less than the US. However, China's population is enormous and industrial production is growing extremely fast. China's energy plans include the production of, on the average, about one major coal-fired electrical power plant per week over a period of a decade.
References:
1. Energy Information Administration, 2007.
2. Energy Information Administration, International Energy 2006, 2007.
3. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Annual 2004, 2007.
4. International Energy Agency, Key World Energy Statistics 2006, 2007.
5. World Energy Council, Energy Information, 2004, 2007.
6. World Resource Institute, Earth Trends, Transportation: Motor gasoline consumption per capita, 2007.
7. IAEA, IAEA Energy and Environmental Data Reference Bank (EEDRB), 2006.
8. USGS, Central region Energy Resource Team, 1998.
9. Thurton, H., The Australia Institute, Greenhouse gas emissions in industrial countries, Where does Australia stand, 2004.
10. Clayton, M., Christian Science Monitor, New Coal Plants Bury ‘Kyoto’,“” 2004,
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http://zfacts.com/p/823.html | 01/18/12 07:18 GMT
Modified: Thu, 17 May 2007 19:26:05 GMT
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