China's Emissions Now Exceed All the Developed World's Combined

[oldsoftie]

Source: Bloomberg

China now accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the world’s developed nations combined, according to new research from Rhodium Group.

China’s emissions of six heat-trapping gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, rose to 14.09 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2019, edging out the total of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members by about 30 million tons, according to the New York-based climate research group.

The massive scale of China’s emissions highlights the importance of President Xi Jinping’s drive to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and reach net-zero by 2060. China accounted for 27% of global emissions. The U.S., the second biggest emitter, contributed 11% while India for the first time surpassed the European Union with about 6.6% of the global total.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-06/china-s-emissions-now-exceed-all-the-developed-world-s-combined

[Demnation]

1. It's a problem of sheer numbers of human beings. A bit misleading without the full data.

The article also points out that per capita China still emits less greenhouse gas than any of the OECD nations, including the US, EU, and India.

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. True, but planet Earth doesn't care about per capita.

[Mosby]

4. +1000

[Xoan]

6. Moreso than arbitrary boundaries ...

created by men.

[oldsoftie]

11. Without boundaries there would be mass chaos

Without set borders the modern world couldnt exist or be funded

[LanternWaste]

15. Predicating out lives entirely on the imaginary seems our de-facto position.

However, you do realize that the sentiment you responded to was said merely to compare and contrast the necessity of using a per-capita mechanism when we cast blame, yes? Context is difficult, but it truly does open our eyes if we allow it to...

[mainer]

7. The only way to look at this is per capita

It's like saying California and North Dakota should be judged exactly the same on total state income.

[NickB79]

13. Per capita is meaningless when facing a global problem like climate change

What matters to the climate is how much carbon is in the air. In the end, all that matters is how high the Keeling Curve goes every year.

[mainer]

17. "Look at China! Look at China! Ignore us!"

When we as Americans individually emit more carbon into the air, of course we want to point the finger at a country with far more people.

That's not to say that we shouldn't all be alarmed by it. But when we are the biggest sinners, it's odd that we point the finger elsewhere.

[speak easy]

3. India has a far lower per capita output of greenhouse gasses than China.

[Mosby]

5. India produces more particulates than any other country.

[Bayard]

8. Every country has to get with the program or we're all doomed

"President Xi Jinping’s drive to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and reach net-zero by 2060." Too little, too late.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

9. China is still a developing nation.

They are not responsible for the centuries of carbon developed nations have spewed with no regard. That is the carbon responsible for the current warming.

Beyond that China has pledged to go zero by 2060....that is only 10 years after our pledge.

[oldsoftie]

10. The atmosphere doesnt care who is developed & who isnt

Neither of us will go to zero or anywhere close unless current storage technology is vastly improved & we realize that nuclear must be a part of the solution.
I believe storage tech WILL improve over time, as Tesla has shown, but to what level I dont know.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

12. I don't see developing nations mitigating carbon they didn't put up there.

Yeah I don't see net zero (really net negative) without nuclear.

[NickB79]

14. Over half of all carbon in the air has been emitted since 1988, much of it China's

https://blog.ucsusa.org/peter-frumhoff/global-warming-fact-co2-emissions-since-1988-764

So the reference to hundreds of years of carbon emitted from other nations is a bit weak. The rate we're adding greenhouse gases is truly astonishing.

I'd note that my statistic is already almost 7 yr old to boot.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

16. That is fair.

But it is also fair to say that we outsource a lot of dirty industry for our own needs.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/02/06/why-we-re-all-to-blame-for-china-and-india-s-filthy-co2-emissions