This fascinating interactive shows each country鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions
| Washington
Climate negotiators meet in Paris this December to broker a global deal slashing greenhouse gas emissions. Their aim? Keep the planet from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
But for 196 different countries to cut emissions enough to slow global warming, it鈥檚 critical to know now 鈥� and where those emissions are coming from. A new created by the World Resources Institute, a global think tank, depicts those country-by-country emissions numbers in an interactive pie chart using .
The illuminates how each country contributes to global warming, and comes at a time when the three largest emitters have made big commitments to rein in emissions. China, at the top of the list, has pledged to reach its peak emissions levels by 2030, and is ahead of schedule, according to some forecasts. Europe, the No. 3 emitter, has promised some of the boldest emissions cuts in the world.
President Obama 鈥� head of state in the world鈥檚 No. 2 emitter听鈥� has made clinching a global deal limiting emissions a priority in his second term. Using executive authority, Mr. Obama has pledged to cut emissions from power plants, cars, trucks, and airplanes. Those policies are the US contribution toward the Paris talks, and will be combined with the rest of the world鈥檚 pledges to reach a final deal come December.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to use to push other countries to join in global climate action,鈥� Brian Deese, a White House climate and energy adviser, the New York Times.
To bolster the case for addressing climate change, the US Environmental Protection Agency Monday touting the public health and economic benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions. The report finds that tackling climate change will avoid 鈥�12,000 deaths annually associated with extreme temperatures in 49 U.S. cities, compared to a future with no reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.鈥� The study also finds the US could save $7 billion dollars annually by 2100 in road maintenance alone if international action is taken on climate. 听
鈥淸W]e can save tens of thousands of American lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars, annually in the United States by the end of this century,鈥� EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement Monday, adding that 鈥渢he sooner we act, the better off America and future generations of Americans will be.鈥�
Environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council called Monday鈥檚 EPA report a 鈥渃larion call鈥� to action on climate change.
听
鈥�'EPA is highlighting the enormous benefits of taking decisive steps to curb climate change -- and the unacceptable consequences of inaction,鈥� Rhea Suh, president of the NRDC, said in a statement Monday.
The centerpiece of Obama鈥檚 climate agenda is the EPA鈥檚 Clean Power Plan, which aims to slash the country鈥檚 power plant emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Some US lawmakers and the fossil fuel industry have attacked the plan, pointing out that addressing greenhouse emissions too aggressively will entail a difficult 鈥� and possibly costly 鈥� switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, like solar and wind.
"As we seek cleaner sources, we need to look at the reality today," says听Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group. The reality, Mr. Gerard says, is that the US transition from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas has already slashed US emissions, and oil and gas will remain critical energy sources for years to come. "The world will consume energy. That鈥檚 how we lift people from poverty and give people听opportunity."
Many in Congress have argued that unless the developing world switches away from emissions-intensive fossil fuels, US and EU action to cut emissions is useless.
That argument lost some traction with last fall鈥檚 historic US-China climate accord, when China demonstrated a bold drive to cut back on its booming coal consumption. 听But concerns remain, especially since India and other developing countries have yet to submit climate pledges towards December鈥檚 talks.
As negotiators wait on pledges from the developing world, WRI鈥檚 graphic visualizes which countries are responsible for the most emissions.
China, the US, and the EU top the list, as the pie chart makes clear 鈥� and all three have posted their contributions toward the climate deal. Those promised emissions cuts cover roughly half the world鈥檚 current total greenhouse gas output.
