These nations are the biggest CO2 polluters in the world

Exposing those responsible

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Global warming is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century. However, if humanity really wants to deal with this growing problem, it's important to know who is responsible for the pollution changing the Earth's climate.

The biggest polluters in the world

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Global Carbon Atlas, an initiative of the Global Carbon Project, focuses on analyzing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Utilizing data collected up to the year 2021, the project has successfully identified the top ten CO2 emitters globally.

10. South Korea

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

One of the largest economies in Asia, South Korea generates 616 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Adding fuel to the fire

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

According to Reuters, South Korea is one of the most fossil fuel-reliant economies in the world. Despite government policy to reduce emissions, industry in the country has received special breaks in regard to the law.

9. Indonesia

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Indonesia slightly surpasses South Korea with an emission of 619 metric tons of CO2.

Breaking promises

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Indonesian government, Reuters explaines, promises an ambitious program to cut carbon emissions and transition to green energy. However, critics are skeptical about these policies.

8. Saudi Arabia

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The largest country in the Middle East, with a population of 34 million people, this kingdom is responsible for 672 tons of carbon dioxide.

Image: ekrem osmanoglu / Unsplash

The paradox of plenty

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

As the largest OPEC exporter, the oil industry has taken its toll on Saudi Arabia, from air quality to oil spills to wasteful energy usage. Other issues that face the Middle-Eastern kingdom are deforestation and desertification.

7. Germany

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Federal Republic of Germany leads the European Union in pollution by being responsible for 675 metric tons of CO2, produced by a population of over 82 million.

Germany goes grüne

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Nonetheless, it seems that the concern among the German people about the environment has been growing in the most recent years. The 2021 General Election saw the Green Party become the country’s third political force, with 15% of the votes.

6. Iran

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Islamic Republic of Iran emits, according to the data, which was cited by Investopedia, 749 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Persian shrug

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Al Jazeera highlights that the Middle Eastern country is one of the few nations that has not signed the Paris Agreement, and its policy-makers have shown little to no interest to combat climate change.

5. Japan

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Empire of the Rising Sun generates 1067 metric tons of CO2, as was reported by the Global Carbon Atlas.

Beyond nuclear

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

According to the US Energy Information Administration, Japan mainly relies on oil, gas, and coal for energy consumption. Nuclear energy consumption has gone down 10% since the Fukushima Disaster.

4. Russia

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Russia is the fourth-biggest CO2 polluter in the world, with 1756 metric tons emitted in 2020.

A gassy affair

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

A study published by Nature reveals that, while the European embargo has reduced the gas emissions generated by European Union countries, Russia's emissions have slightly increased.

3. India

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The South Asian nation of India gets the doubtful honor of third place on this list, producing 2710 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Filthy power

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

India is, according to data by the US Energy Information Administration, the second-biggest coal consumer in the world.

2. The United States

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The Land of the Free generates 15% of all CO2 emissions, as reported by the Global Carbon Project, with every person in the United States being responsible for 15.74 tonnes. Most of these emissions come from industry, transportation, and electricity generation.

Second only to China

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

Although the country has cut back on coal in the past years, the US is still heavily reliant on crude oil. The United States is the second-largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world, behind China, with 4,7 billion metric tons of CO2 released in 2019.

1. China

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

The 1,4 billion people who live in the People’s Republic of China generate an average of 7.72 tonnes of CO2, according to the UN report. Data from the Global Carbon Project reveals that this Asian superpower alone is responsible for 24% of all carbon emissions around the globe.

The biggest polluter

Exposing those responsible, The biggest polluters in the world, 10. South Korea, Adding fuel to the fire, 9. Indonesia, Breaking promises, 8. Saudi Arabia, The paradox of plenty, 7. Germany, Germany goes grüne, Persian shrug, 5. Japan, Beyond nuclear, 4. Russia, A gassy affair, 3. India, Filthy power, 2. The United States, Second only to China, 1. China, The biggest polluter

A 2020 study published by The Lancet estimated that 1.24 million people died in China in 2017 as a result of air pollution. The Global Carbon Project reveals that the primary source of CO2 emissions in the country is fossil fuels, particularly coal.

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