Important Steps Countries are making with Climate Action
Carbon emissions have been a topic of much debate in recent years, here are 3 countries with the lowest carbon footprints.
1. Tuvalu
You have probably never heard of Tuvalu before, and there is a reason for it, this tiny country only has 12,000 people inhabiting it, and its lack of industry means this country’s carbon emissions rest at zero MtCO2 and they plan to continue this trend by doing away with fossil fuels altogether.
Climate change has them deeply concerned for their country, as the tidewaters rise each year, which is why they are planning to switch to a much more sustainable and environmentally healthy way of creating energy through solar and wind power.
2. Niue
Niue is another small island country that has less than 0.1 MtCO2 of carbon emissions each year. They are located in the Pacific, and part of the reason their emissions are so low is that they have such a small population.
Climate change has caused sea levels to rise and driven an increase in rainfall which means each year they lose more and more land to the ocean. They have a population of fewer than 2,000 people and their industry primarily entails processing fruit they collect on their island, which leaves very little room for fossil fuels.
3. Kiribati
Kiribati has one of the smallest carbon footprints with 0.1 Mtco2 released each year. They tend to remain a close-knit country that doesn’t deal with international markets which is why they have managed to avoid making a large carbon footprint.
Their primary source of income in their economy comes from tourism, crafts, and fishing, which all neglect the use of nonrenewable resources. They understand the importance of using the land to their advantage as they find ways to adjust to the climate change happening around them.
The largest Carbon Footprints
China is the biggest culprit of them all when it comes to its carbon footprint. They release a whopping 9,839 Mtco2 per year into our atmosphere. Their carbon footprint is huge, and the quality of the air they breathe in alerts us to their predicament.
Unfortunately, their use of fossil fuels has continued to grow as more and more factories pop up to produce many of the products the United States use. China must phase out its use of coal as this is its biggest supplier of energy. They do have policies in place, however, more climate action is needed for them to drastically reduce their emissions.
Some other countries with large carbon footprints include The United States Of America, India, Japan, and the Russian Federation.
If you want to know how to reduce your carbon footprint, check out this article.
