As the international community tries to come to grips with climate change, the difficulties of reaching agreement on the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide are becoming ever more apparent.
One sticking point involves the relative contribution of First and Third World countries to global warming. Developing nations have contended that industrialized countries caused climate change and ought to bear the brunt of CO2 regulation.
The West points at exponential growth in China and India as a reason that regulation of carbon emissions must apply across the board. For atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to stabilize, this chart clearly shows, the world’s major emitters — China, the U.S., India, Japan, Russia and the European Union, among others — will have to reduce their carbon footprints. At the same time, it’s clear there is plenty of room for other, smaller countries to reduce their per capita contributions to a problem that threatens all.
To enlarge and explore the carbon footprint comparison, simply click the graphic below and download the PDF.
