The countries responsible for emitting the most CO2 globally include the most advanced and fastest-growing economies. From this table, we can derive the top 5 major countries with the highest carbon emissions in the world:
With a current population of 1.4 billion people, China is leading as the highest carbon emitting country in the world. The country is highly dependent on energy industries such as steel, coal, fossil fuels, cement, etc. All these industries emit the most amount of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Chinese economy and industry have also grown quickly in recent years due to the implementation of multiple infrastructure projects and its rapid urbanization.
With a current population of about 340 million, the USA ranks number 2 in the world's carbon emissions. In America, burning coal, liquid fuel and natural gas emissions are required to produce electricity and heat. Carbon emissions from transportation are another significant factor, comprising automobiles, delivery vehicles, planes and public transit.
The USA also experiences fluctuating weather patterns which cause higher demand for heating and cooling systems at homes, office spaces, etc. Around 48% of homes in the US still use natural gas for this, contributing to the country’s overall emissions figures.
As the first most populated country in the world with over 1.4 billion people, India ranks number 3 as the world's largest carbon emitter. The largest source of carbon emissions comes from power plants and
agriculture. Electricity is largely sourced from coal-fired power plants, which release copious amounts of carbon dioxide.
In India, the second greatest contributor to emissions is agriculture. Rice paddies, cattle and the utilization of fertilizers all produce large amounts of methane, a gas that falls under the category of greenhouse gases (GHG). Burning crops further increases the emissions released, resulting in global warming.
With a population of 144 million people, Russia is the 4th highest emitter of CO2 in the atmosphere globally. Russia is the world’s leading exporter of oil and gas.
Consequently, it has a high emission rate, given its reliance on fossil fuels during energy production, manufacturing materials such as cement, and for residential, commercial and transportation purposes.
The small country of Japan is populated by 124 million people making it the fifth largest CO2 emitter in the world. Japan is one of the global leaders in the manufacturing industry, with its industrial sector accounting for the largest energy consumption. Most emissions arise here due to the high electricity consumption for production.
The above data is taken for the year 2022-23. During this period, it is important to note that many global factors, such as the Covid-19 outbreak and the Russian-Ukrainian war, outbreak, and the Russian-Ukrainian war have influenced carbon emissions from these major countries.