World Carbon: The Big Picture

 
Readers of Sierra Daily will know by now that I have a special weakness for infographics, the more data-packed the better. Here's one from UK Guardian graphic artists Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton that you could spend the rest of the afternoon with. Based on 2009 data (the latest available) from the Energy Information Administration, it shows who's doing what to the atmosphere, not only now but compared to what they've done in the past. The big takeaway is that carbon emissions from the United States and Europe are declining (partly as a result of that pesky world recession), while China, India, and much of Asia are on the rise. Balanced out, it shows that world emissions have declined slightly--all of 0.1 percent. U.S. per capita emissions are still the world's largest at 18 metric tons, compared to a world average of 4.49. We've got a long, long way to go.

--Paul Rauber