Green
Visualizing Global Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Highest Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Developing countries like China, India, and Russia are some of the highest producers of CO2 worldwide and will be so for a while. But the situation is far from straightforward—and looking at CO2 emissions per capita can add nuance to the overall story.
Based on data presented by the Aqal Group and the IEA, here we visualize the countries and regions with the highest per capita carbon emissions from around the world.
Let’s dive into the highest per capita carbon emitters and how they are trying to reduce their carbon contributions.
Leaders in Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Oil-producing countries in the Middle East are the highest emitters of CO2 on a per capita basis, but developed countries like the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Canada also have some of the higher rates of per capita emissions.
| Rank | Country or Region | Carbon Emissions Per Capita (t/year) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Middle East A* | 19.5 |
| #2 | Canada | 15.2 |
| #3 | Saudi Arabia | 14.5 |
| #4 | United States | 14.4 |
| #5 | Australia & New Zealand | 13.6 |
| #6 | Russia | 11.4 |
| #7 | South Korea | 11.3 |
| #8 | Kazakhstan & Turkmenistan | 11.2 |
| #9 | Taiwan | 10.8 |
| #10 | Japan | 8.4 |
| Global Average | 4.4 |
*Middle East A group includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates
Canada and the United States have per capita carbon footprints of 15.2 and 14.4 tonnes per year, respectively. Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand combine for an average per capita footprint of over 13.6 tonnes per year.
It’s worth noting that all of these numbers are more than three times higher than the global average, which in 2019 was 4.4 tonnes per person.
Energy Sources and Per Capita CO2 Emissions
Since there is a strong relationship between wealth and per capita CO2 emissions, we’d expect countries with high living standards to have a high carbon footprint.
But the data above shows significant differences in per capita emissions, even between countries with similar living standards. Many countries across Europe, for example, have much lower emissions than the U.S., Canada, or Australia.
Here’s a look at the top 25 countries by standard of living and their share of electricity production from fossil fuels:
| Rank | Country | Per Capita Electricity Consumption (kWh) | % Electricity Production (from fossil fuels) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 12,174 | 15.6% |
| 2 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 5,015 | 21.8% |
| 3 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 26,492 | 1.2% |
| 4 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 7,414 | 34.6% |
| 5 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 16,478 | 2.2% |
| 6 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 7,935 | 1.0% |
| 7 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 7,264 | 71.5% |
| 8 | 🇫🇷 France | 8,097 | 9.5% |
| 9 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 6,771 | 43.8% |
| 10 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 7,446 | 69.1% |
| 11 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 4,500 | 40.7% |
| 12 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 16,648 | 16.6% |
| 13 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 10,458 | 65.8% |
| 14 | 🇺🇸 United States | 12,235 | 60.1% |
| 15 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 11,091 | 82.8% |
| 16 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 7,716 | 20.7% |
| 17 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 9,857 | 75.1% |
| 18 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 6,408 | 59.3% |
| 19 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 8,542 | 96.7% |
| 20 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 5,641 | 34.4% |
| 21 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 4,554 | 56.8% |
| 22 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 7,534 | 50.7% |
| 23 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 5,100 | 41.2% |
| 24 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 8,880 | 18.9% |
| 25 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 1,529 | 28.5% |
Sources: Electricity consumption, Fossil fuel mix
The choice of energy sources plays a key role here. In the UK, Portugal, and France, a much higher share of electricity is produced from nuclear and renewable sources.
For example, only 9.5% of France’s electricity production comes from fossil fuels, compared to other developed countries like the U.S. at 60.1% and Japan at 69.1%.
G20 Countries and Carbon Emissions
This reliance on fossil fuels for energy production extends to the rest of the G20 countries. According to the Climate Transparency Report, CO2 emissions will rise by 4% across the G20 group this year, dropping 6% in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This rise is mainly due to the increase in coal consumption across these countries. Coal consumption is projected to rise by almost 5% in 2021, with this growth driven by China (accounting for 61% of the growth), the U.S. (18%), and India (17%).
Here’s a look at the current coal power capacity of each G20 country:
Coal use in China has surged, with the country experiencing increased demand for energy as the global economy has recovered. Coal prices are up nearly 200% from a year ago.
Plans to Tackle Emissions
The conclusion of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow saw several pledges and announcements being made by various countries. Here are some of the highlights:
- The world’s biggest CO2 emitters, the U.S. and China, pledged to cooperate more over the next decade in areas including methane emissions and the switch to clean energy.
- Leaders from more than 100 countries—with about 85% of the world’s forests—promised to stop deforestation by 2030.
- More than 100 countries agreed upon a scheme to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030.
- Financial organizations have agreed to back renewable energy and direct finance away from fossil fuel-burning industries.
Many countries have pledged to do their part to tackle climate change. It will be an impressive display of global unity if global CO2 emissions drop significantly over the next decade.
Environment
Animation: Visualizing 140 Years of Global Surface Temperatures
Here’s a look at 140 years of global surface temperatures, highlighting the ten coldest and warmest years since 1880.
Creator Program
Animated: 140 Years of Global Surface Temperatures
For hundreds of years, Earth’s average surface temperature has been steadily increasing. And over the last decade, this global heating appears to have intensified.
Since 1880, the global average temperature has risen by an average of 0.08°C (0.14°F) every 10 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
But since 1981, warming has been occurring at more than twice that rate, by about 0.18°C (0.32°F) per decade.
This graphic by Pablo Alvarez shows 140 years of global surface temperatures, highlighting the 10 coldest and warmest years from 1880-2021 using data from NOAA.
Global Surface Temperatures Over Time
Over the last century and a half, there have been fluctuations in global surface temperatures, with some of the coolest years on record occurring in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
However, the last two decades have seen unprecedented warming, with the 10 warmest years on record all occurring within the last 20 years. Here’s a look at the 10 hottest years since 1800, and how they compared to the 20th century average:
The 10 Warmest Years
| Rank | Year | Deviation from 20th Century Avg. (°C) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2016 | +0.99 |
| #2 | 2020 | +0.97 |
| #3 | 2019 | +0.94 |
| #4 | 2015 | +0.93 |
| #5 | 2017 | +0.9 |
| #6 | 2018 | +0.82 |
| #7 | 2014 | +0.74 |
| #8 | 2010 | +0.72 |
| #9 | 2013 | +0.67 |
| #10 | 2005 | +0.66 |
As of this article’s publication, the warmest year on record was 2016, when temperatures were +0.99°C (1.78°F) above the 20th century average. After 2016, the second warmest year was 2020, when surface temperatures reached +0.97°C (1.75°F) higher than the previous century’s average.
What Factors Impact Earth’s Climate?
There are a number of natural factors that influence global surface temperatures, including phenomena such as:
- Volcanic activity
- Changes in the Earth’s orbit
- Shifts in ocean currents
However, scientists believe that our current rate of warming has been undoubtedly caused by human influence, especially because of our carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “observed increases in well-mixed greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations since around 1750 are unequivocally caused by human activities.”
In other words, while Earth’s surface temperature naturally fluctuates over the years, our actions have undoubtedly contributed to recent changes in Earth’s climate.
What Are The Consequences?
We’re already seeing the impact of this warming, as the world struggles with extreme climate events like droughts, heatwaves, floods, and an influx of wildfires in places like Europe, the United States, and Australia.
These extreme weather patterns could become the new normal if left unchecked, which is why companies and policymakers around the world are embarking on different solutions—from targeting net zero goals to implementing technological innovations that could reduce emissions.
Energy
The U.S. Utilities Decarbonization Index
This graphic quantifies and compares the state of decarbonization among the 30 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.
Introducing the NPUC Annual Utility Decarbonization Report 2022
Created in partnership by Visual Capitalist and Motive Power.
The U.S. Utilities Decarbonization Index
With the Biden administration targeting a zero-emissions power sector for the U.S. by 2035, how are the nation’s largest electric power providers faring in terms of decarbonization?
Together, Visual Capitalist and our sponsor National Public Utilities Council have developed the Annual Utility Decarbonization Index. The index quantifies and compares the status of decarbonization among the 30 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.
Decarbonization is quantified by scoring companies on six emissions-related metrics based on publicly available data from 2020 (the latest available).
Why the 30 Largest IOUs?
Why does the Decarbonization Index specifically look at the 30 largest IOUs by electricity generation?
Well, these 30 utilities collectively generated around 2.3 billion megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity (including purchased power), making up over half of U.S. net electricity generation in 2020. Moreover, they also served over 90 million customers, accounting for roughly 56% of all electric customers in the country.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that the 30 largest IOUs have an important role in decarbonizing both the power sector and the U.S. economy. Since the residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors all use electricity, the decarbonization of utilities—the providers of electric power—can enable emissions reduction throughout the economy.
Decarbonization Index Methodology
For each of the six metrics used in the Decarbonization Index, utilities are scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), indicating whether they are trailing or leading, respectively. Scores for each metric are based on the range of figures for each metric divided into five equal buckets that the utilities fall into.
For simplicity, let’s suppose that the lowest reported total emissions figure is zero metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the highest is 100 metric tons. In that case, companies that emit fewer than 20 metric tons of CO2 will receive the highest score of 5. Those that emit between 20 and 40 metric tons of CO2 will receive a 4, and so on.
A utility’s overall decarbonization score is an average of their scores across the six metrics, summarized below:
- Fuel Mix:
The share of low-carbon sources (renewables, nuclear, and fuel cells) in the utility’s owned net electricity generation. We’ve assumed that the share of low-carbon sources can range from 0% to 100%, and scores are assigned based on that range. - CO2 Emissions Intensity:
The amount of CO2 emitted per megawatt-hour of owned and purchased electricity generation. - Total CO2 Emissions:
The sum of absolute CO2 emissions from owned and purchased electricity generation. While this overlooks the differing sizes of utilities, the rationale is that smaller unconsolidated utilities may find it easier to decarbonize than larger peers. - CO2 Emissions per Capita:
The amount of CO2 emitted from owned and purchased electricity generation per retail customer served in 2020. - Decarbonization Goals:
An evaluation of the utility’s interim greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals and net-zero targets. The baseline for this is 50% GHG emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 (utilities with baseline targets get a score of 2.5/5). - Low-Carbon Investment:
The share of planned capital expenditure (CAPEX) for electricity generation that is allocated to low-carbon sources. We’ve assumed that the share of CAPEX for low-carbon sources can range from 0% to 100%, and scores are assigned based on that range.
The data for these metrics comes from various sources including company sustainability reports, quantitative reporting templates from the Edison Electric Institute, and the Climate Disclosure Project’s Climate Change Questionnaire filings.
Explore all six metrics of the U.S. Utility Decarbonization Index
Download The NPUC Annual Utility Decarbonization Report for free.
The Annual Utility Decarbonization Index 2022
Before looking at numbers, it’s important to note that the Decarbonization Index is relative and compares the 30 largest IOUs to each other. Therefore, a score of 5 does not indicate full decarbonization or net-zero emissions. Instead, it suggests that the utility is doing particularly well relative to its peers.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the Annual Utility Decarbonization Index 2022:
| Rank | Company | Decarbonization Score |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Public Service Enterprise Group | 4.7 |
| #2 | NextEra Energy Resources | 4.7 |
| #3 | Pacific Gas and Electric | 4.5 |
| #4 | Avangrid | 4.2 |
| #5 | Exelon | 4.1 |
| #6 | Portland General Electric | 3.7 |
| #7 | Dominion Energy | 3.6 |
| #8 | Florida Power and Light | 3.6 |
| #9 | PNM Resources | 3.5 |
| #10 | Alliant Energy | 3.4 |
| #11 | Consolidated Edison | 3.4 |
| #12 | Fortis Inc. | 3.4 |
| #13 | American Electric Power | 3.3 |
| #14 | Consumers Energy | 3.3 |
| #15 | Evergy | 3.0 |
| #16 | NRG Energy | 3.0 |
| #17 | AES Corporation | 2.9 |
| #18 | Xcel Energy | 2.9 |
| #19 | WEC Energy | 2.9 |
| #20 | DTE Energy | 2.8 |
| #21 | Duke Energy | 2.8 |
| #22 | Entergy | 2.8 |
| #23 | TransAlta | 2.8 |
| #24 | Emera | 2.7 |
| #25 | Ameren | 2.6 |
| #26 | Berkshire Hathaway Energy | 2.5 |
| #27 | Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company | 2.4 |
| #28 | Southern Company | 2.3 |
| #29 | PPL Corporation | 2.2 |
| #30 | Vistra Corp. | 2.0 |
A small number of companies did not report data on certain metrics and have been excluded from scoring for those metrics (denoted as N/A). In such cases, the decarbonization score is an average of five metrics instead of six.
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), headquartered in New Jersey, tops this year’s rankings thanks to its low-emissions profile and ambitious climate goals. The company is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions from operations by 2030—five years ahead of the Biden Administration’s target and faster than any other utility on the list.
Tied with PSEG is NextEra Energy Resources, the clean energy-focused subsidiary of NextEra Energy. The company is the world’s largest producer of solar and wind power and generated 97% of its net electricity from low-carbon sources in 2020.
In third place is California’s largest utility, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). PG&E had the lowest emissions per capita of the 30 largest IOUs at 0.5 metric tons of CO2 per retail customer in 2020. That figure is significantly lower than the average of 11.5 metric tons across the 30 IOUs.
Rounding out the top five are Avangrid, a renewables-focused U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish Iberdrola Group, and Exelon, the nation’s largest utility by number of retail customers. Avangrid had one of the cleanest fuel mixes with 87% of its owned net electricity coming from low-carbon sources. Exelon is the nation’s largest provider of emissions-free electricity, generating around 157 million MWh or 86% of its owned net electricity from nuclear power.
Download the Full Utility Decarbonization Report
While the Decarbonization Index provides a look at the current status of utility decarbonization, there’s much more to uncover in the full report, including:
- The obstacles that utilities face on the path to decarbonization
- The detailed data behind the six individual metrics
- The U.S. utilities ESG report card
- The solutions and strategies that can help accelerate decarbonization
>> Click here to download the full report and find out everything you need to know about utility decarbonization.
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