(1) in 2050, the greenhouse gas emissions per capita have to be about 2.1 metric tons of CO2 equivalent among all the countries; and
(2) at the end of the 21st century, the GHG emissions will have to be negative.
The following table contains country rankings by current (in 2010) CO2 emissions per capita and greenhouse gas emissions per capita. CO2 is just one element of UNFCCC-designated seven greenhouse gases (CO2, N2O, CH4, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, & NF3). Because the per capita GHG emissions are always greater than the CO2 emissions, reducing the per capita GHG emissions level down to 2.1 tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050 seems very difficult. For example, El Salvador emitted about 2.1 tonnes of GHGs per capita in 1994.
Country Rankings by CO2 and GHG Emissions Per Capita
Unit: tonnes of CO2-equivalent
Rank | CO2 emissions per capita (in 2010) | Greenhouse gas emissions per capita | ||||
Country | CO2 | Country | GHG | Latest year available | ||
1 | QATAR | 40.086 | Niue (see Note) | 2,053.950 | (1994) | |
2 | TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO | 37.741 | Jamaica | 47.582 | (1994) | |
3 | KUWAIT | 34.224 | United Arab Emirates | 40.096 | (2000) | |
4 | NETHERLAND ANTILLES | 23.524 | Bahrain | 34.901 | (1994) | |
5 | BRUNEI (DARUSSALAM) | 22.938 | Paraguay | 29.937 | (1994) | |
6 | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | 22.278 | Belize | 29.604 | (1994) | |
7 | ARUBA | 21.582 | Australia | 26.076 | (2008) | |
8 | LUXEMBOURG | 21.326 | Luxembourg | 25.996 | (2008) | |
9 | OMAN | 20.556 | United States | 22.218 | (2008) | |
10 | BAHRAIN | 19.164 | Canada | 22.082 | (2008) | |
11 | FALKLAND ISLANDS (MALVINAS) | 19.127 | New Zealand | 17.650 | (2008) | |
12 | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | 17.258 | Grenada | 16.172 | (1994) | |
13 | SAUDI ARABIA | 16.892 | Barbados | 15.890 | (1997) | |
14 | AUSTRALIA | 16.745 | Kazakhstan | 15.840 | (2008) | |
15 | GIBRALTAR | 15.646 | Russian Federation | 15.768 | (2008) | |
16 | NEW CALEDONIA | 15.609 | Cote d'Ivoire | 15.693 | (2000) | |
17 | KAZAKHSTAN | 15.500 | Iceland | 15.469 | (2008) | |
18 | CANADA | 14.657 | Ireland | 15.199 | (2008) | |
19 | FAEROE ISLANDS | 14.620 | Estonia | 15.099 | (2008) | |
20 | ESTONIA | 13.667 | Czech Republic | 13.704 | (2008) | |
21 | MONTSERRAT | 12.935 | Finland | 13.220 | (2008) | |
22 | RUSSIAN FEDERATION | 12.165 | Trinidad and Tobago | 13.133 | (1990) | |
23 | REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 11.762 | Turkmenistan | 12.771 | (1994) | |
24 | NORWAY | 11.689 | Belgium | 12.582 | (2008) | |
25 | ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON | 11.689 | Netherlands | 12.519 | (2008) | |
26 | FINLAND | 11.506 | Cameroon | 12.105 | (1994) | |
27 | TAIWAN | 11.212 | Denmark | 11.933 | (2008) | |
28 | GREENLAND | 11.066 | Germany | 11.646 | (2008) | |
29 | NETHERLANDS | 10.956 | Korea, Republic of | 11.624 | (2001) | |
30 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 10.626 | Central African Republic | 11.613 | (1994) | |
31 | TURKMENISTAN | 10.516 | Greece | 11.393 | (2008) | |
32 | CAYMAN ISLANDS | 10.480 | Norway | 11.267 | (2008) | |
33 | PALAU | 10.480 | Israel | 10.971 | (2005) | |
34 | BELGIUM | 10.150 | Slovenia | 10.563 | (2008) | |
35 | ISRAEL | 9.527 | Austria | 10.392 | (2008) | |
36 | LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYAH | 9.270 | Poland | 10.381 | (2008) | |
37 | JAPAN | 9.234 | United Kingdom | 10.317 | (2008) | |
38 | SOUTH AFRICA | 9.160 | Saudi Arabia | 10.165 | (1990) | |
39 | GERMANY | 9.051 | Japan | 10.070 | (2008) | |
40 | IRELAND | 8.941 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 10.024 | (1990) | |
41 | NAURU | 8.391 | Bulgaria | 9.672 | (2008) | |
42 | DENMARK | 8.354 | Belarus | 9.414 | (2008) | |
43 | BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA | 8.281 | South Africa | 9.378 | (1994) | |
44 | POLAND | 8.281 | Ukraine | 9.302 | (2008) | |
45 | SEYCHELLES | 8.135 | Spain | 9.121 | (2008) | |
46 | AUSTRIA | 7.951 | Italy | 9.085 | (2008) | |
47 | UNITED KINGDOM | 7.915 | Slovakia | 9.043 | (2008) | |
48 | ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN | 7.731 | Uruguay | 8.953 | (2000) | |
49 | GREECE | 7.622 | France | 8.573 | (2008) | |
50 | MALAYSIA | 7.622 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 8.026 | (1999) | |
51 | SLOVENIA | 7.548 | Singapore | 7.958 | (1994) | |
52 | BERMUDA | 7.328 | Bahamas | 7.957 | (1994) | |
53 | NEW ZEALAND | 7.218 | Swaziland | 7.947 | (1994) | |
54 | BAHAMAS | 7.182 | San Marino | 7.666 | (2007) | |
55 | CYPRUS | 6.962 | Argentina | 7.634 | (2000) | |
56 | VENEZUELA | 6.962 | Uzbekistan | 7.593 | (2005) | |
57 | ITALY (INCLUDING SAN MARINO) | 6.705 | Liechtenstein | 7.392 | (2008) | |
58 | UKRAINE | 6.705 | Portugal | 7.341 | (2008) | |
59 | EQUATORIAL GUINEA | 6.669 | Lithuania | 7.325 | (2008) | |
60 | SLOVAKIA | 6.596 | Hungary | 7.305 | (2008) | |
61 | BELARUS | 6.486 | Malta | 7.245 | (2008) | |
62 | MALTA | 6.192 | Armenia | 7.141 | (1990) | |
63 | CHINA (MAINLAND) | 6.156 | Switzerland | 7.058 | (2008) | |
64 | ANDORRA | 6.119 | Croatia | 7.039 | (2008) | |
65 | ICELAND | 6.119 | Sweden | 6.949 | (2008) | |
66 | BULGARIA | 5.973 | Benin | 6.875 | (1995) | |
67 | SPAIN | 5.863 | Suriname | 6.834 | (2003) | |
68 | ANTIGUA & BARBUDA | 5.789 | Mongolia | 6.832 | (1998) | |
69 | FRANCE (INCLUDING MONACO) | 5.753 | Romania | 6.831 | (2008) | |
70 | MARTINIQUE | 5.606 | Malaysia | 6.807 | (1994) | |
71 | SWEDEN | 5.606 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 6.295 | (1994) | |
72 | BARBADOS | 5.496 | Antigua and Barbuda | 6.276 | (1990) | |
73 | MACEDONIA | 5.276 | Gabon | 6.197 | (1994) | |
74 | REUNION | 5.167 | Botswana | 6.149 | (1994) | |
75 | HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINSTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA | 5.130 | Saint Lucia | 6.092 | (1994) | |
76 | HUNGARY | 5.057 | The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia | 6.044 | (2002) | |
77 | BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | 5.020 | Azerbaijan | 5.617 | (1994) | |
78 | SWITZERLAND | 5.020 | Mexico | 5.423 | (2002) | |
79 | AZERBAIJAN | 4.983 | Latvia | 5.270 | (2008) | |
80 | PORTUGAL | 4.910 | Turkey | 4.958 | (2008) | |
81 | LEBANON | 4.837 | Bolivia | 4.847 | (2004) | |
82 | CROATIA | 4.727 | Palau | 4.797 | (2000) | |
83 | ST. KITTS-NEVIS | 4.727 | Lebanon | 4.628 | (1994) | |
84 | SERBIA | 4.654 | Cook Islands | 4.344 | (1994) | |
85 | SURINAME | 4.544 | Gambia | 4.234 | (1993) | |
86 | ARGENTINA | 4.470 | Brazil | 4.164 | (1994) | |
87 | THAILAND | 4.250 | Panama | 4.083 | (1994) | |
88 | TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS | 4.250 | Guyana | 4.049 | (1998) | |
89 | CHILE | 4.214 | Jordan | 3.998 | (2000) | |
90 | ANGUILLA | 4.177 | Chile | 3.872 | (1994) | |
91 | MONGOLIA | 4.177 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3.870 | (1994) | |
92 | NIUE | 4.177 | Colombia | 3.840 | (1994) | |
93 | MONTENEGRO | 4.104 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 3.802 | (1997) | |
94 | TURKEY | 4.104 | Thailand | 3.761 | (1994) | |
95 | LITHUANIA | 4.067 | Zambia | 3.701 | (1994) | |
96 | MEXICO | 3.921 | Cuba | 3.669 | (1996) | |
97 | UZBEKISTAN | 3.811 | Nauru | 3.642 | (1994) | |
98 | GUADELOUPE | 3.774 | Namibia | 3.543 | (1994) | |
99 | ROMANIA | 3.664 | Seychelles | 3.387 | (1995) | |
100 | IRAQ | 3.628 | China | 3.386 | (1994) | |
101 | ALGERIA | 3.481 | Samoa | 3.365 | (1994) | |
102 | COOK ISLANDS | 3.481 | Algeria | 3.309 | (1994) | |
103 | CUBA | 3.408 | Republic of Moldova | 3.161 | (2005) | |
104 | MALDIVES | 3.408 | Ecuador | 2.994 | (1990) | |
105 | JORDAN | 3.371 | Dominican Republic | 2.994 | (2000) | |
106 | LATVIA | 3.371 | Monaco | 2.919 | (2008) | |
107 | FRENCH POLYNESIA | 3.261 | Tunisia | 2.854 | (1994) | |
108 | MAURITIUS | 3.151 | Costa Rica | 2.799 | (2005) | |
109 | FRENCH GUIANA | 3.041 | Georgia | 2.770 | (2006) | |
110 | SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC | 3.041 | Mauritania | 2.667 | (2000) | |
111 | DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE S REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 2.931 | Bhutan | 2.517 | (1994) | |
112 | PANAMA | 2.748 | Peru | 2.449 | (1994) | |
113 | SINGAPORE | 2.638 | Zimbabwe | 2.400 | (1994) | |
114 | BOTSWANA | 2.602 | Tonga | 2.364 | (1994) | |
115 | JAMAICA | 2.602 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 2.325 | (1994) | |
116 | EGYPT | 2.528 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.302 | (2005) | |
117 | GRENADA | 2.492 | Nigeria | 2.252 | (1994) | |
118 | TUNISIA | 2.455 | Dominica | 2.216 | (1994) | |
119 | SAINT LUCIA | 2.308 | El Salvador | 2.071 | (1994) | |
120 | ECUADOR | 2.272 | Uganda | 2.047 | (1994) | |
121 | GUYANA | 2.235 | Egypt | 2.020 | (1990) | |
122 | SAINT HELENA | 2.235 | Honduras | 1.937 | (1995) | |
123 | BRAZIL | 2.162 | Fiji | 1.834 | (1994) | |
124 | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | 2.125 | Mauritius | 1.824 | (1995) | |
125 | WALLIS AND FUTUNA ISLANDS | 2.052 | Vanuatu | 1.782 | (1994) | |
126 | DOMINICA | 1.979 | Indonesia | 1.771 | (1994) | |
127 | PERU | 1.979 | Sudan | 1.757 | (1995) | |
128 | URUGUAY | 1.979 | Albania | 1.744 | (1994) | |
129 | MARSHALL ISLANDS | 1.942 | Madagascar | 1.724 | (1994) | |
130 | MACAU SPECIAL ADMINSTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA | 1.905 | Nicaragua | 1.679 | (1994) | |
131 | ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES | 1.905 | Morocco | 1.672 | (1994) | |
132 | INDONESIA | 1.795 | Guatemala | 1.655 | (1990) | |
133 | GABON | 1.722 | Lao People's Dem. Rep. | 1.632 | (1990) | |
134 | VIET NAM | 1.722 | Sri Lanka | 1.598 | (1995) | |
135 | COLOMBIA | 1.649 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.490 | (1994) | |
136 | COSTA RICA | 1.649 | Nepal | 1.479 | (1994) | |
137 | INDIA | 1.649 | Philippines | 1.474 | (1994) | |
138 | ANGOLA | 1.576 | United Rep. of Tanzania | 1.349 | (1994) | |
139 | MOROCCO | 1.576 | India | 1.299 | (1994) | |
140 | PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA | 1.539 | Togo | 1.279 | (1998) | |
141 | FIJI | 1.502 | Pakistan | 1.261 | (1994) | |
142 | TONGA | 1.502 | Niger | 1.235 | (2000) | |
143 | GEORGIA | 1.429 | Chad | 1.198 | (1993) | |
144 | NAMIBIA | 1.392 | Viet Nam | 1.178 | (1994) | |
145 | ARMENIA | 1.356 | Tajikistan | 1.176 | (2003) | |
146 | BELIZE | 1.356 | Cambodia | 1.154 | (1994) | |
147 | REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA | 1.356 | Yemen | 1.151 | (1995) | |
148 | ALBANIA | 1.319 | Senegal | 1.105 | (1995) | |
149 | KYRGYZSTAN | 1.209 | Papua New Guinea | 1.093 | (1994) | |
150 | HONDURAS | 1.063 | Lesotho | 1.072 | (1994) | |
151 | EL SALVADOR | 1.026 | Comoros | 1.062 | (1994) | |
152 | FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA | 0.916 | Mali | 0.908 | (1995) | |
153 | PAKISTAN | 0.916 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.902 | (1998) | |
154 | YEMEN | 0.916 | Ethiopia | 0.838 | (1995) | |
155 | PHILIPPINES | 0.879 | Solomon Islands | 0.837 | (1994) | |
156 | SAMOA | 0.879 | Djibouti | 0.837 | (1994) | |
157 | SWAZILAND | 0.879 | Dem. Rep. of the Congo | 0.827 | (2003) | |
158 | GUATEMALA | 0.769 | Kenya | 0.804 | (1994) | |
159 | NICARAGUA | 0.769 | Ghana | 0.742 | (1996) | |
160 | PARAGUAY | 0.769 | Cape Verde | 0.736 | (1995) | |
161 | CAPE VERDE | 0.733 | Malawi | 0.708 | (1994) | |
162 | ZIMBABWE | 0.733 | Guinea | 0.700 | (1994) | |
163 | BHUTAN | 0.660 | Congo | 0.680 | (2000) | |
164 | KIRIBATI | 0.623 | Haiti | 0.662 | (1994) | |
165 | MAURITANIA | 0.623 | Maldives | 0.632 | (1994) | |
166 | SRI LANKA | 0.623 | Tuvalu | 0.608 | (1994) | |
167 | BENIN | 0.586 | Burkina Faso | 0.606 | (1994) | |
168 | DJIBOUTI | 0.586 | Mozambique | 0.533 | (1994) | |
169 | OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY | 0.586 | Kiribati | 0.367 | (1994) | |
170 | SAO TOME & PRINCIPE | 0.586 | Bangladesh | 0.366 | (1994) | |
171 | SENEGAL | 0.550 | Burundi | 0.316 | (1998) | |
172 | CONGO | 0.513 | Rwanda | 0.279 | (2002) | |
173 | NIGERIA | 0.513 | Eritrea | 0.207 | (2000) | |
174 | VANUATU | 0.476 | ||||
175 | PAPUA NEW GUINEA | 0.440 | ||||
176 | WESTERN SAHARA | 0.440 | ||||
177 | TAJIKISTAN | 0.403 | ||||
178 | BANGLADESH | 0.366 | ||||
179 | GHANA | 0.366 | ||||
180 | REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON | 0.366 | ||||
181 | SOLOMON ISLANDS | 0.366 | ||||
182 | SUDAN | 0.330 | ||||
183 | CAMBODIA | 0.293 | ||||
184 | COTE D IVOIRE | 0.293 | ||||
185 | KENYA | 0.293 | ||||
186 | LAO PEOPLE S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC | 0.293 | ||||
187 | AFGHANISTAN | 0.256 | ||||
188 | GAMBIA | 0.256 | ||||
189 | TOGO | 0.256 | ||||
190 | HAITI | 0.220 | ||||
191 | COMOROS | 0.183 | ||||
192 | LIBERIA | 0.183 | ||||
193 | MYANMAR (FORMERLY BURMA) | 0.183 | ||||
194 | ZAMBIA | 0.183 | ||||
195 | GUINEA BISSAU | 0.147 | ||||
196 | TIMOR-LESTE (FORMERLY EAST TIMOR) | 0.147 | ||||
197 | UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA | 0.147 | ||||
198 | BURKINA FASO | 0.110 | ||||
199 | ERITREA | 0.110 | ||||
200 | GUINEA | 0.110 | ||||
201 | MADAGASCAR | 0.110 | ||||
202 | MOZAMBIQUE | 0.110 | ||||
203 | NEPAL | 0.110 | ||||
204 | SIERRA LEONE | 0.110 | ||||
205 | UGANDA | 0.110 | ||||
206 | CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | 0.073 | ||||
207 | ETHIOPIA | 0.073 | ||||
208 | MALAWI | 0.073 | ||||
209 | NIGER | 0.073 | ||||
210 | RWANDA | 0.073 | ||||
211 | SOMALIA | 0.073 | ||||
212 | BURUNDI | 0.037 | ||||
213 | CHAD | 0.037 | ||||
214 | DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (FORMERLY ZAIRE) | 0.037 | ||||
215 | MALI | 0.037 | ||||
216 | LESOTHO | 0.000 |
On 'Niue' (Explanation from the GHG gas data source): 1994 is considered as an uncharacteristically high in terms of GHG emissions. It was mainly influenced by large-scale extension of Niue's international airport runway, and the major construction and sealing of roads (230 km). The high per capita figure is also due to a very small population base.
Sources:CO2 data: Boden, T., Marland, G., Andres, B., & Marland, G. (2013). National CO2 Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning, Cement Manufacture, and Gas Flaring: 1751-2010. Oak Ridge, TN: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center. [Data at http://dx.doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/00001_V2013]
Greenhouse gas data: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_greenhouse_emissions.htm
IPCC scenarios: Girod, B., van Vuuren, D. P., & Hertwich, E. G. (2013). Global climate targets and future consumption level: an evaluation of the required GHG intensity. Environmental Research Letters, 8(1), 014016. [Full-text at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014016]