China Overtakes US as World's Biggest CO2 Emitter

A report released yesterday from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency indicate CO2 emissions in 2006 from China have surpassed those of the US by 8%.  Many experts predicted China to be the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but no one expected it to be so soon.  According to the report, China was pushed into first place due to its colossal demand for coal to generate electricity and a surge in cement production.

If that information wasn’t staggering enough, here’s another fact about China’s coal production:  China is currently constructing the equivalent of two, 500 megawatt, coal-fired power plants per week -- a capacity comparable to the entire UK power grid each year. 

It’s a little scary to think of the global warming implications from this country’s output alone.  However, according to an NPR report today, the more important statistic is the per capita emissions from each country.  The US remains number 1, as the average Chinese only uses one quarter of CO2 emissions than the average American.  That is why China and other developing countries are placing the onus on the US, Europe, and Japan to curb their carbon footprints before pointing fingers at them.

by
Erin Swanson
ESwanson@enviance.com