In this article, we will look into the 25 countries with the biggest carbon footprint per capita. If you want to skip our detailed analysis you can go directly to the 5 Countries with Biggest Carbon Footprint per Capita.

Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gases, expressed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_2e), emitted by an individual, organization, or region. It provides us with an estimate of the GHG emissions in our environment. It can be used as an indicator to assess the environmental performance of countries.

Global GHG Emissions

According to the “CO₂ in 2022 Emissions” report by the International Energy Agency, the global energy landscape went through an interplay between the rising green transformation wave and the tenacious fossil fuels grip. The world witnessed a CO₂ emission increase of 0.9%, posing serious environmental and ecological threats.

Fossil fuels are the primary drivers of GHG emissions leading to global warming and consequently climate change. The low cost of fossil fuels makes it a preferable choice for industries involved in the manufacturing of fossil fuel-derived goods including fuel, plastic, and oil, among others. While fossil fuels offer great immediate monetary benefits, they are proving to be a deceptive bargain in the long run. Coal is the dominant player in the fossil fuel market exhibiting a 1.6% increase, resulting in a record high 15.5 giga tonnes of emissions. Oil and gas emissions also witnessed a high growth of 2.5% and 1.8% respectively.

Among the world’s largest emitter, China displayed a stable overall emissions output. Europe is leading the green policy with its transformation to environment-friendly alternatives. In 2022, it achieved a significant 2.5% reduction in its emissions. The US, on the other hand, witnessed a 0.8% surge in its emissions. Emissions from developing economies in Asia experienced a 4.2% or 206 Mt CO₂ surge in emissions more than any other region.

Cutting down global emissions demands a shift toward clean energy and renewable energy technology, fueled by increased investment to combat climate change. Renewable energy technology offers resource efficiency, waste reduction, and material closed-loops, aligning with the principles of the circular economy. In 2022, the green technology exhibited remarkable agility, producing 275 TWh and powering 90% of the world’s new electricity generation. This feat represents the burgeoning renewable energy market and its growth potential. Let’s have a look at the renewable energy market and the major players operating in the industry. You can also look at the top renewable energy companies in the world.

Renewable Energy Market

According to a report by Precedence Market Research, the global renewable energy market was worth $970 billion in 2022. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% and reach $2.18 trillion in 2032. The growth can be attributed to various renewable energy sources including hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy. In 2022, renewable energy had a 7% share in the global energy demand. The share is expected to continue growing over the coming years. Other factors boosting the market growth include increasing awareness of fossil fuel impacts, rising initiatives by the government to promote clean energy, growing efforts to offset carbon emissions, and increased adoption of green energy.

Regionally, Asia Pacific dominated the market with a share of over 35% in 2022. This is due to the rapid urbanization leading to high pollution levels in the region, resulting in a high demand for renewable energy solutions. The market is experiencing significant growth in emerging economies such as India and China, driven by the economic growth due to rising industrialization in the countries. North America is expected to be the fastest-growing region over the forecasted period, driven by growing awareness of environmental catastrophes, increasing government initiatives to cut down emissions, and rising investments in renewable energy sources. You can also take a look at some of the major renewable energy companies operating in the US.

Major Players in the Market

Some of the major players in the market include NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK), and National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG).

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) is a leading renewable energy company, specializing in solar and wind energy. On October 24, the company reported earnings for the fiscal third quarter of 2023. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) reported an EPS of $0.94 and beat estimates by $0.06. The company reported revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, up by 6.74% year-over-year.

Here are some of the comments from NextEra Energy, Inc.’s (NYSE:NEE) Q3 2023 earnings call:

“Energy resources had a record quarter of new renewables and storage origination at approximately 3,245 megawatts to the backlog, which is the first time we have exceeded three gigawatts in a single quarter. Although we will remind you that signings can be lumpy quarter-to-quarter, we do believe this is a terrific sign of strong underlying demand for new renewable generation. With these additions, our backlog now totals over 21 gigawatts after taking into account roughly 1,025 megawatts of new projects placed into service since our second quarter call. We also removed roughly 1,180 megawatts from our backlog, including roughly 800 megawatts of projects in New York following an adverse decision by NYSERDA two weeks ago. We are optimistic that these projects will ultimately move forward, but are removing them from backlog for now.

The remaining megawatts were removed due to permitting challenges. Overall, we remain on track to achieve our renewable development expectations of roughly 33 gigawatts to 42 gigawatts through 2026. This quarter’s backlog additions include roughly 455 megawatts to repower existing wind facilities, which includes energy resources share of approximately 740 megawatts of repowers within the NextEra Energy Partners portfolio, which I’m going to discuss in a few minutes. As a reminder, in a repower, we invest roughly 50% to 80% of the cost of a new build, are able to refresh and enhance the performance of the turbine equipment, and start a new 10 years of production tax credits, collectively resulting in attractive returns. Energy Resources has previously repowered roughly 6 gigawatts of its approximately 23 gigawatt operating wind portfolio, and we believe we will be able to repower much of our existing wind portfolio in the coming years.”

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) is a major US electric power and gas holding company. On December 5, the company announced that it had proposed new energy programs in South Carolina to help customers save both energy as well as cost. These include pilot programs for vulnerable customers and the transformation of existing programs such as weatherization and home energy audits. The aim of Duke Energy Corporation’s (NYSE:DUK) energy efficiency programs is to deliver energy enhancements and improved efficiency to customers.

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) is a leading utility company in the United Kingdom. On November 16, the company announced that it had started construction in Southern Ohio on two large solar energy projects. The projects will generate a combined 167.5 megawatts of clean energy. National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) anticipates substantial monetary benefits in Southern Ohio, such as millions in tax revenue and job creation for locals. The solar projects will also offset the carbon emissions and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Methodology

To compile our list of the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita, we utilized Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data of countries and ranked the countries based on metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent GHG emissions per capita. Our list ranks the countries in ascending order of their carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per capita. We have also listed the global emission share and total carbon equivalent emissions of each country, as of 2020.

25 Countries with Biggest Carbon Footprint Per Capita

25. Russia

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 12.49 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Russia is ranked among the countries with the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Russia reported a carbon footprint of 12.49 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 1799.98 million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 3.79% of global emissions.

24. Barbados

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 12.72 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Barbados emitted a total of 3.65 million tonnes of CO_2e and 12.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 0.01% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 24th on our list.

23. Ireland

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 13.33 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Ireland ranks 23rd on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 13.33 tonnes. In 2020, Ireland emitted  66.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.14% contribution to global emissions.

22. Luxembourg

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 13.45 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Luxembourg is ranked among the 25 countries with the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Luxembourg reported a carbon footprint of 13.45 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 8.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, representing 0.02% of global emissions.

21. Paraguay

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 13.64 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Paraguay emitted a total of  97.29 million tonnes of CO_2e and 13.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 0.20% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 21st on our list.

20. New Zealand

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 13.92 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

New Zealand ranks 20th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 13.92 tonnes. In 2020, New Zealand emitted 70.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.15% contribution to global emissions.

19. Kazakhstan

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 15.56 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Kazakhstan is ranked among the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Kazakhstan reported a carbon footprint of 15.56 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 291.82 million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 0.61% of global emissions.

18. United States

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 15.96 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

The United States ranks 18th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 15.96 tonnes. In 2020, the US emitted 5289.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting an 11.13% contribution to global emissions.

17. Belize

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 17.50 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Belize emitted a total of 6.96 million tonnes of CO_2e and 17.50 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 0.01% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 17th on our list.

16. Oman

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 18.62 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Oman is ranked among the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Oman reported a carbon footprint of 18.62 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 95.1 million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 0.20% of global emissions.

15. Trinidad and Tobago

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 19.01 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Trinidad and Tobago ranks 15th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 19.01 tonnes. In 2020, Trinidad and Tobago emitted 26.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.06% contribution to global emissions.

14. Canada

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 19.23 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Canada emitted a total of 731.54 million tonnes of CO_2e and 19.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 1.54% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 14th on our list.

13. Saudi Arabia

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 20.47 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Saudi Arabia is ranked among the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Saudi Arabia reported a carbon footprint of 20.47 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 712.59 million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 1.50% of global emissions.

12. Grenada

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 21.31 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Grenada emitted a total of 2.4 million tonnes of CO_2e and 21.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 0.01% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 12th on our list.

11. Botswana

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 22.76 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Botswana ranks 11th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 22.76 tonnes. In 2020, Botswana emitted  53.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.11% contribution to global emissions.

10. Australia

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 22.78 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Australia emitted a total of 585.42 million tonnes of CO_2e and 22.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per capita in 2020. The country contributed 1.23% of emissions to the total global emissions. It is ranked 10th on our list.

9. Suriname

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 23.08 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Suriname is ranked among the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data’s global GHG emissions data, Suriname reported a carbon footprint of 23.08 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 13.54 million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 0.03% of global emissions.

8. Guyana

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 23.09 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Guyana ranks 8th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 23.09 tonnes. In 2020, Guyana emitted  18.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.04% contribution to global emissions.

7. Mongolia

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 23.30 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

Mongolia is ranked among the 25 countries producing the biggest carbon footprint per capita. According to the Climate Watch Data global GHG emissions data, Mongolia reported a carbon footprint of 23.30 tonnes in 2020. The country emitted 76.38  million tonnes of CO_2e, representing 0.16% of global emissions.

6. United Arab Emirates

Carbon Footprint Per Capita (2020): 25.27 Tonnes of CO_2e per Capita

The UAE ranks 6th on our list, reporting a carbon footprint per capita of 25.27 tonnes. In 2020, the UAE emitted  249.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, depicting a 0.53% contribution to global emissions.

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Disclosure: None. 25 Countries with Biggest Carbon Footprint per Capita is originally published on Insider Monkey.