2011 greenhouse gas emission

Cathy Alexander has an article, There’s a da xiang in the room: new greenhouse emission data, looking at 2011 global greenhouse gas emissions. China topped the list with 29% of global emissions, followed by the USA:

China’s per capita emissions increased by 9% in 2011 and are now 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person, which, the report notes, is “similar to the per capita emissions in the European Union”. China’s per capita emissions are now higher than France, Italy and Spain.

The author makes the point that we can no longer rely on the developed world to take the lead on reducing emissions while letting the developing world catch up after 2020.

I should also note that Australia, 15th on the list, has the highest per capital emissions followed by the USA and then Saudi Arabia.