Sector | GHG emissions per person per year (tonnes CO2e) | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Domestic energy and housing | 3.98 | 26.2 |
Transport | 3.78 | 24.9 |
Food | 2.07 | 13.6 |
Consumables (i.e. goods) | 1.83 | 12.1 |
Private services (e.g. banking) | 1.68 | 11.1 |
Public services | 1.78 | 11.7 |
Total emissions (incl. other) | 15.18 | 100.0 |
Country | CO2 per person, tonnes per year (for 2011, rounded) | CO2 per person, tonnes per year (estimates for 2015, rounded) |
Saudi Arabia | 18.7 | 19 |
United States | 16.8 | 17 |
Australia | 16.2 | 17 |
Russian Federation | 12.6 | 11 |
Japan | 9.3 | 9.8 |
Israel | 9.2 | 8.9 |
South Africa | 9.2 | 8.5 |
Germany | 8.8 | 9.9 |
Ireland | 8.0 | 7.9 |
United Kingdom | 7.2 | 6.4 |
China | 6.6 | 7.5 |
Sweden | 5.5 | 4.3 |
France | 5.3 | 5.3 |
Thailand | 4.6 | 4.6 |
Turkey | 4.4 | 4.9 |
Romania | 3.9 | 3.8 |
Egypt | 2.8 | 2.4 |
Brazil | 2.2 | 2.5 |
India | 1.7 | 1.7 |
Pakistan | 0.9 | 0.9 |
Nigeria | 0.5 | 0.6 |
Uganda | 0.1 | 0.1 |
World average (mean) | 4.8 | 4.9 |
Country | Mean footprint per person (tonnes CO2 per year) | UK mean footprint per person relative to other country’s mean footprint per person |
UK | ||
USA | ||
China | ||
Sweden | ||
India | ||
Uganda | ||
World mean |
Country | Mean footprint per person (tonnes CO2 per year) | UK mean footprint per person relative to other country’s mean footprint per person |
UK | 6.4 | — |
USA | 17 | 0.38 |
China | 7.5 | 0.85 |
Sweden | 4.3 | 1.5 |
India | 1.7 | 3.8 |
Uganda | 0.1 | 60* |
World mean | 4.9 | 1.3 |
Country | Total CO2 (2011), million tonnes per year (rounded) | Total CO2 (2015 est.), million tonnes per year (rounded) |
China | 9020 | 9680 |
United States | 5306 | 5561 |
India | 2074 | 2597 |
Russian Federation | 1808 | 1595 |
Japan | 1188 | 1232 |
Germany | 730 | 789 |
Saudi Arabia | 520 | 602 |
South Africa | 477 | 476 |
United Kingdom | 448 | 428 |
Brazil | 439 | 507 |
Australia | 369 | 382 |
France | 339 | 331 |
Turkey | 321 | 573 |
Thailand | 303 | 337 |
Egypt | 221 | 237 |
Pakistan | 164 | 168 |
Nigeria | 88.0 | 93.6 |
Romania | 84.8 | 72.6 |
Israel | 69.5 | 67.2 |
Sweden | 52.1 | 44.3 |
Ireland | 36.1 | 35.9 |
Uganda | 3.8 | 4.3 |
World average (mean) | 150.8 | (World total 36 292) |
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do little. (Edmund Burke, 1729–97)
We must abandon the conceit that individual, isolated, private actions are the answer. They can and do help. But they will not take us far enough without collective action. (Gore, 2007)
There are some things that we can do as individuals: making this an energy-efficient house and making smart transport choices. Then there are things that we can do in our community ... I’m chair of a local community wind farm ... and work with Low Carbon West Oxford, a group of local residents ... And then there’s a third strand where it’s really much more to do with government. (Mark and Alice (2008), former owners of the eco-renovated house, Oxford)
Using the carbon calculator to explore how to reduce my carbon footprint reminded me that some of these issues occur in my own household. Regarding energy use, my partner and her daughter like the house kept nice and warm in winter and often turn up the thermostat or thermostatic radiator valves. On transport, my partner and I run a small car. I try to car-share or cycle to work and usually take a train or coach for longer journeys. But my partner’s daughter likes driving her own, fairly powerful, car and rarely uses public transport. And while my partner and I have avoided flying in the past year (having flown three times for leisure in the previous year), my partner’s daughter has already enjoyed two holiday flights and is looking forward to a trip to Australia. I would happily become a vegetarian, but my partner likes to eat meat at least once or twice a week. Regarding consumption, while I prefer buying a few long-lasting goods, my partner’s daughter, and to some extent my partner too, like shopping for new things. So while my own carbon footprint may be fairly light and could be lighter, the total household footprint is heavier than it could be. To lighten our footprint involves trade-offs and choices, and requires give and take among the household members.