[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Per capita seems like a poor measurement in a country like China where only about 60% of it's massive population lives in an Urban area, most associated with carbon emissions. The US is considered over 80% "urbanized" in contrast, but the difference is even greater when you consider the population differences between the two countries.

That’s true, but it is the best measure of how a society is doing that we have. It is far better than total emissions. But with total emissions, it provides us with the countries that will make the biggest impact.

Also, if you are going to compare differences then you should compare all the differences and not just living location. I believe the per capita values include all emissions from individuals and from industries, and from what I understand, China leads the world in manufacturing, and they are higher per capita than the US. Manufacturing tends to have a larger carbon footprint than other industries.

Even without that, the 20% difference can’t account for a greater than doubling per capita that the US has over China. Individually, we are high consumers with poor recycling.

With less than 5 percent of world population, the U.S. uses one-third of the world's paper, a quarter of the world's oil, 23 percent of the coal, 27 percent of the aluminum, and 19 percent of the copper.

A child born in the United States will create thirteen times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil,” reports the Sierra Club’s Dave Tilford, adding that the average American will drain as many resources as 35 natives of India and consume 53 times more goods and services than someone from China.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...mption-habits/