CARBON PER CAPITA5 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

poster designed by: Piktochart copyright 2014

That simple, single number that tells our story - how we power our lives, what kind of society we’re a part of,

what we eat, how much we buy. It’s the line that connectseach of us to what’s happening to our climate.

Look at Singapore, atropical island state smaller

than New York City.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR STORY!

That's Singapore's share of global emissions from burningfuel that was pumped into the atmosphere in 2013,

according to the International Energy Agency. Tiny, isn't it?

0.14%!

That's what it sounds like, compared to large emitters likeChina which contributed 28%, or the United States which

contributed 16%, or even India at 6%. But is it really?

Just aDrop in

theOcean

THE CARBON PER CAPITA PERSPECTIVE

Did you know that per person, Singapore’s emissionsfrom burning fuel are a quarter more than China’s,

and about 6X that of India?

A story where what we choose to do matters.

Suddenly, it sounds like a different story.

The International Energy Agency has records of carbon dioxideemissions from burning fuel, per person, from 1990 to 2013.

Here are 5 facts you might not have known:

The averageglobal person inthe world uses

metric tons ofcarbon dioxideemissions from

burning fuelevery year.

#1

4.5

Australia, United States andCanada have some of the highest carbon per capita;

more than triple the world average.

15.3tonnes

16.7tonnes

16.2tonnes

#2

Carbon per capita in Indiaand Indonesia has more thandoubled since 1990...

...yet at still less than 2 metrictons per person in 2013, this

is comparatively small!

#3

...yet at 6.6 metric tons per person in2013, this is still less than half that of

Australia, the United States, or Canada.

Carbon per capita inChina has more thantripled since 1990...

#4

Did you know that carbon per capita can be counted by howmuch you produce, or how much you consume?

Many carbon accounting methods, including whatthe International Energy Agency uses, are based on

production, which gives a skewed picture.

PRODUCTION VS. CONSUMPTION

If you produce stuff, yourproduction carbon per

capita will be high, becauseof the energy and materials

it takes to make stuff.

If this stuff is made for other people,then your consumption carbon per

capita will be low, because theenergy and material embodied in

'stuff' is consumed overseas

SIDE - NOTE

#3

What happens when you look at theconsumption of carbon dioxideemissions per capita per year?

Research shows that the average person inChina consumed 1.8 metric tons, compared tothe average person in the United States who

consumed ten times more at 18.6 tons.

Source: Ivanova et al., Environmental Impact Assessment of HouseholdConsumption, 2015, Journal of Industrial Ecology

Sweden has one of the fastest ratesof cutting emissions!

Carbon per capita (production) has dropped by 36%since 1990, to 3.9 metric tons per person in 2013.

#5

HOW IS SWEDEN DOING IT?

Known for meatballs, flatpack furniture,and of course that famous “SwedishChef”, this country of 10 million people is leading the way in showing that growth and quality of life can come with zero carbon.

According to their nationalgovernment, Sweden has drivenfossil fuel use down by pricing

carbon in, through energy taxesand a specific CO2 tax.

They’re not stopping here. Swedes have their eye on reachingzero-carbon by 2045 (with a little help from offsetting through

international carbon projects).

The average Swede uses less than half the emissions of the average Singaporean, German or Dutch, and less than a quarter of theaverage American or Australian.

How are they doing it?

Almost all of their electricity is low-carbon, from a primarymix of hydropower and nuclear, with a generous sprinkling of

biomass and wind. Over half of their primary energy usedcomes from renewable sources.

ENERGY & CO2 TAX

CLEAN POWER

We may not have Sweden's natural resources,but can we learn from their systems approach

and willpower to cut emissions?

To get where they want to be, Swedes are aiming for fossil-freestreets by 2030, with the government providing tax exemptions

for electric and ethanol-powered vehicles.

FOSSIL-FREE STREETS

AMBITION FOR ZERO-CARBON

CONVERGENCE?

Global average carbon per capita has risen by around 15%between 1990 and 2013. While some like Sweden, Denmark

and the UK have reduced this by over 25%, others likeAustralia and Japan have grown this by more than 10%.

From less than 2 to over 16 metric tonnes per person, the stark climate and carbon inequality means humanity is

more different than alike, divided than united, today.

Will we see a carbon convergence per person, for a moreegalitarian and sustainable future? How will you choose to

write your carbon per capita story?

REFERENCES

International Energy Agency, "CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion", 2015Edition © OECD/IEA. http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/co2-emissions-from-fuel-combustion-highlights-2015.html

World Bank Blog, "Sweden: Decoupling GDP growth from CO2 emissions ispossible", 2015. http://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/sweden-decoupling-gdp-growth-co2-emissions-possible

Swedish Institute, "Energy Use in Sweden", 2016. https://sweden.se/society/energy-use-in-sweden/

Ivanova et al., "Environmental Impact Assessment of HouseholdConsumption", 2015, Journal of Industrial Ecology.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289373031_Environmental_Impact_Assessment_of_Household_Consumption

www.littleclimate.com | Facebook: littleclimate | Twitter: @littleclimate