3.4 Climate projections  (Page 2/8)

Over the past few years, China has surpassed the United States to become the nation that emits more greenhouse gasses than any other (see Figure CO ₂ Emissions for the United States and China ). Currently, China is responsible for just over 25% of global CO ₂ emissions, which are approximately 30 Gt per year, with the United States in a close second place. It is important to consider population when reviewing these numbers because there are over four times as many people living in China than in the United States. When you compare these two countries on a per capita basis, the average U.S. citizen emits approximately 19 metric tons of CO ₂ per year while the average Chinese citizen emits approximately five metric tons. In 2009, the United States consumed more than double the amount oil than the second largest consumer, China, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Topping the list in per capita CO ₂ emissions is the oil rich nation of Qatar. This small country located on the Persian Gulf has the largest per capita production of oil and natural gas. It also has the world’s highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. An average citizen in this country emits nearly 60 metric tons of CO ₂ into the atmosphere each year.

Rather than point the finger at individual countries, let’s examine the bigger problem. The maps in Figure Global Influence Maps distort the size of each country based on a certain variable, like CO ₂ emissions, with respect to the rest of the world. In the upper left panel, the map is based on population, which is why China and India appear so large. The upper right map distorts the size of the country based upon fuel imports. Notice that the United States, much of Europe, and Japan are expanded the most, while Africa, the Middle East, and much of South America are barely visible. Compare these two maps with absolute wealth and carbon emissions and the story is quite clear. The industrialized and wealthy nations are responsible for the largest quantities of carbon emissions and fuel imports. These societies are built on the foundation of energy production through the consumption of fossil fuels.

The bottom two panels tell another aspect of this story. Focus first on the graph in the lower right, which shows forest loss by country. The world’s forest biomes are a large part of the CO ₂ cycle and with deforestation, a large sink for atmospheric CO ₂ is taken away. Notice that deforestation is most prevalent in Africa, South America, and Indonesia while the United States is barely visible on this map. In the United States, reforestation is practiced, but in the rainforests of the world, which are those areas in South America, Africa, and Indonesia that are ballooned on this map, deforestation is commonplace.