Oraquel » These are the biggest polluters in the world.

Think tank Ember checked the CO2 emissions per capita among the G20 countries. The report shows that the pace of energy transformation undertaken by the richest economies is not fast enough. Yes, carbon pollution is decreasing in more than half of the G20 countries. But the two biggest polluters emit more than three times more than the global average.

Although it is commonly believed that China, along with India, is one of the world's largest carbon dioxide emitters, Ember's latest report shows a slightly different perspective. Analysts focused on the emissions of the world's richest economies, which make up the G20, but in per capita terms. And it turns out that someone else tops the list of the biggest polluters in such a ranking. As the analysts explain, the G20 is responsible for 85 percent of global GDP and at the same time contributes to 80 percent of global emissions in the energy sector.

China and India are often blamed as the world’s biggest coal polluters. However, based on population, South Korea and Australia were still the biggest polluters in 2022. As mature economies, they should be ambitious and confident in increasing renewable energy to phase out coal by 2030, said Dave Jones, Global Insights Manager at Ember.

Following Australia and South Korea, China, South Africa, Japan, the United States, Germany and Turkey all emitted more than the global average in 2022.

CO2 emissions: each person emitted 1.1 million tons.

Although Australia and South Korea are clearly in the lead in this inglorious ranking, these countries have reduced their CO2 emissions per capita by 26% and 10%, respectively, compared to 2015. But there is still a lot to do in this regard. And if we are still serious about the Paris Agreement, we need to do it faster.

Australia and South Korea are the two G20 countries with the highest average carbon emissions, with each emitting three times more carbon emissions per capita than the average person in the world, according to a report by Ember.

Meanwhile, in 2022, around 36% of global energy was generated from coal, which resulted in 8.367 million tons of CO2 emissions.

Per capita, this means that in 2022, the average person in the world emitted about 1.1 tons of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power generation, Ember calculates.

Simple advice: less coal, more renewable energy.

The Ember report also shows that the richest countries should change their energy more quickly. Meanwhile, in 2022, 48% of energy in the case of Australia came from coal (in 2015 it was still 64%), and in the case of South Korea it was 34%. Another matter is that in the entire G20 CO2 emissions per capita increased from 1.5 t CO2 in 2015 to 1.6 t CO2 in 2022.

Per capita emissions are rising steadily as coal continues to meet post-pandemic demand. Added to this are increasingly frequent extreme weather events. That is why we need to switch to renewables as soon as possible.

Renewable energy sources provide clean, on-site energy, reduce emissions, increase energy security and stimulate economic growth through innovation and job creation, Ember said.