CO Emissions Trends and their Significance

Introduction

Carbon Dioxide emissions are the primary driver of global climate change. It is widely recognized by scientists that in order to avoid the worst aspects of climate change that we would need to drastically reduce our emissions. The main issue to grapple with is how do we compare these emissions? Do we do so with emissions by country? Or emissions per person? Or historical contributions? How do we determine who is responsible for climate change emissions?

Annual CO2 Emissions

Find more statistics at Statista

Here we can see the increase in emissions from the year 1940 at 4.86 Billion to 37.55 Billion in 2023

Energy-related CO2 Emissions by country

Here we see that China, India and the US emit the most CO2. This is especially true for China since its economy gets its revenue from the manufacturing industries, and manufacturing does produce a lot of waste and pollution.

CO2 Emissions by Country( 2000-2023)

Here we see China's emissions rising astronomically while India's emissions rise relatively gradually and steadily.

CO2 Emissions Per Capita by Country (2000-2023)

Here we see how the emissions per capita of the US is decreasing by a huge amount while that of the European Union and Japan decreases gradually. This is can be explained through how these regions get their revenues. The dominating industries in the US is the service sector, particularly finance and technology, the same can be said for the EU where the economy is financialized.

Political implications to the problem of climate change

We can see from our visualizations that it's developing nations like China and India which also have the largest populations which emit the most Carbon Dioxide. This then makes us question whether we can bring up the standards of living of the Less Economically Developed Countries without polluting the environment. Would it be fair to impose restrictions or carbon taxes on LEDCs when they need to industrialize rapidly in order to level the economic playing field, or would doing so massively cripple 2.8 billion people?

Actions Corporations Can Take to Help Reduce CO₂ Emissions

1.Adopting Sustainable practices -Firms are adopting a variety of approaches, including setting targets for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), targets for energy efficiency or using renewable energy, or for becoming “carbon neutral"

2.Risk Management - Companies need to manage risks associated with climate change, including physical risks to operations from extreme weather events and transition risks related to policy changes and market shifts towards low-carbon technologies.

3.Innovation and competitiveness- There is a growing need for innovation in developing low-carbon products and services. Companies that lead in this area can gain a competitive advantage and meet the increasing demand for sustainable products.

4.Corporate Governance- Effective corporate governance structures are needed to oversee and integrate sustainability into the core business strategy. This includes setting measurable targets for CO₂ reduction and ensuring accountability at all levels of the organization.