Top 5 CO2 emitters in the world

Arab weather - Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an odorless gas important for life on Earth, and it is one of the gases that traps heat and regulates the Earth's temperature naturally, but an excessive concentration of it disrupts the natural temperature regulation in the atmosphere and leads to global warming and climate change. .

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased as a result of the industrial revolution and the accelerated growth in manufacturing activities around the world. Deforestation, over-cultivation, and the use of fossil fuels are the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions.

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According to the latest data from the Global Carbon Project, China tops the list of the top five countries that produce the largest annual percentage of carbon dioxide, and is the world's largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, followed by the United States, India, Russia and Japan.

1. China

China is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the world, reaching 9.9 billion metric tons in 2019, the year for which the latest data are available. The combustion of fossil fuels is the main source of carbon dioxide emissions in China, especially the resulting combustion of coal to generate electricity About 58% of all power generated from China in 2019 came from coal alone, and because coal is rich in carbon, burning it in power plants, industrial plants and boilers in China releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Also, China is one of the largest importers of oil, which contributes to significant emissions of carbon dioxide through the country's use of transportation vehicles, but China is working to reduce its emissions by turning to other sources of energy production using nuclear energy, renewable energy sources and natural gas. .

2. United States

The United States is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide, with nearly 4.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, as the US economy is highly dependent on the transportation sector, which burns fossil fuels as fuel for trucks, ships, trains, planes and cars.

Another industry contributes to carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, burning fossil fuels for energy. The chemical sector in the United States also uses various chemical reactions necessary to produce commodities from raw materials, which emit carbon dioxide in the process, but the country has nine to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by relying on clean energy sources.

3. India

India is the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. It produced about 2.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2019.2 With the Indian economy embarking on a path of urbanization and industrialization, consumption of solid fuels, such as coal, has risen dramatically.

Coal consumption as a source of electricity in India increased from 68% in 1992 to 75% in 2015. Coal mines are abundant in India, coal is generally cheaper in the country than imported oil and gas, and India is likely to increase its dependence on coal as its main source of energy for generating Electricity and the operation of its heavy industry.

4. Russia

Russia is the fourth largest contributor of carbon dioxide emissions in the world, with a volume of 1.6 billion metric tons in 2019.2. Russia has one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, and natural gas is the country's main source of energy and power generation.

Coal, which is widely used in the chemical and other basic materials industries and for power generation in Russia, is also a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in Russia.

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5. Japan

Japan is the fifth largest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide, producing 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2019. Japan relies heavily on burning natural gas and coal to generate electricity for its residents and various industries. After the nuclear reactors closed at Fukushima in 2011, reliance on fossil fuels increased even more, and with Japan reopening its nuclear power plants, its carbon dioxide footprint may stabilize in the future.

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