As the global climate crisis continues to wreak havoc upon our planet’s fragile ecosystems and threaten the future of humanity, it is essential to examine the sources of carbon emissions that are driving the climate crisis and assess the greatest contributors. While all countries are responsible for their share of global emissions, a few dominate the picture. An analysis of both emissions data and recent political and economic trends reveals that the country responsible for the most emissions on a global scale is the United States.
The US emits the most CO2 per capita of any country in the world, rivaled only by Saudi Arabia. According to data for 2018 from the World Resources Institute, the US is responsible for the highest overall emissions from both energy production and consumption, due in part to its large population and consumption of fossil fuels. US emissions have also grown significantly since 1990; in 2012 they had grown by 14.8% over the 1990 levels.
The US government has long been criticized for its apathetic response to the global climate crisis and its failure to counter the effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions. The Trump administration, in particular, has aggressively rolled back environmental regulations and pulled the US out of the 2015 Paris Agreement—contributing to an already-high level of US emissions. It has also championed an “America First” energy policy that prioritizes production of fossil fuels over renewable energy sources, undermining any progress the country may have made on mitigating emissions.
Although the US is the biggest contributor to global warming, individual states as well as some of the world’s biggest industrial emitters also play significant roles. In recent years, China has emerged as the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases, surpassing the US just prior to 2018. High population density, urbanization and rapid economic growth have made China the world’s top emitter by a wide margin. India is on track to overtake the US as the world’s second-biggest emitter by 2030.
Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, loss of biodiversity and other environmental disasters are making it clear that urgent action is needed to reduce emissions, both globally and domestically. The US must consider the repercussions of its emissions and work to reduce them in order to limit the severity of the global climate crisis. This includes introducing stronger emissions and environmental regulations, supporting renewable energy sources, and working with China, India, and other countries to promote worldwide initiatives to reduce emissions. Improving global emissions regulation and sustainability plans will be key to reversing the effects of global warming.
