Per Capita Is Key

Every time you hear that China's CO2 emissions are increasing at some alarming rate and that they're now the number-one emitter, remember this graph of per capita output:


I'm not saying it's good that China's output is increasing, but they have used it (in aggregate) to bring an astounding number of people out of poverty. Meanwhile, we in the U.S. drive along at a much higher rate of use per person, increasing our inequality and with our numbers again going up after recent declines.

In case the numbers in the graph are hard to read, even when you click the image to embiggen it, U.S. levels are about twice what China's are and close to ten times what India's are.

I have to admit, though, I'm surprised the U.S. had returned for a few years to roughly the same level of CO2 as we had in 1960 (until our most recent upswing, which doesn't show on this graph). I don't believe I had heard that.