Global Distribution of Per Capita CO2 Emissions
According to Global Carbon Project 2023 data, the world average annual CO2 emission per person is 4.7 tonnes. National variation is extreme: Qatar (35.6 tonnes) and Bahrain (25.7 tonnes) lead by wide margins, while the Democratic Republic of Congo (0.04 tonnes) and Chad (0.06 tonnes) emit less than one tonne. The ratio between highest and lowest exceeds 800 to 1.
Japan emits 8.5 tonnes per capita, approximately 1.8 times the global average and roughly equal to the OECD average (8.9 tonnes). Meeting the Paris Agreement's 2050 net-zero target requires developed nations to reduce current emissions by over 90%. Understanding individual-level emissions is the starting point for engaging with this enormous challenge.
Emission Composition - What Generates CO2
Individual CO2 emissions divide broadly into four categories: housing (heating, cooling, electricity) at approximately 30%, transportation (automobiles, aviation) at 25%, food (particularly livestock products) at 20%, and consumer goods and services at 25%. These proportions vary substantially by country and lifestyle.
Air travel has an outsized impact on personal emissions. A single Tokyo-New York round trip generates approximately 3.4 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 40% of the average Japanese person's annual emissions. Individuals who fly internationally several times per year exceed the global average through aviation alone.
Emission Inequality - The Rich and the Poor
Oxfam's 2023 report revealed that the world's richest 1% emit as much CO2 as the bottom 66% (five billion people). Emission inequality is pronounced not only between nations but also across income strata within countries.
This fact lies at the heart of climate justice debates. Those most affected by climate change are the low-emitting poor in developing nations, while the highest emitters possess the resources to insulate themselves from consequences. Individual emission rankings serve as one means of making this structural inequality visible.
Individual Action - Effectiveness and Limits
Research has identified the most effective individual emission reduction actions. Wynes and Nicholas (2017) ranked giving up a car (-2.4 tonnes/year), eliminating one transatlantic flight (-1.6 tonnes), and shifting to a plant-based diet (-0.8 tonnes) as the highest-impact personal choices.
However, individual behavioral change alone cannot solve climate change. Transformation of energy systems, transportation infrastructure, and industrial structures requires policy intervention. Knowing one's personal emissions matters, but reducing the problem to "individual responsibility" risks diverting attention from system-level transformation. Action at both levels is necessary.
CO2 Ranking in MyRank's Framework
MyRank's CO2 emission ranking estimates annual emissions from user-provided lifestyle information and calculates a percentile against the global distribution. In this ranking, being in the "top" (high emissions) is not desirable. Ranking lower indicates a smaller environmental footprint.
This metric, where value judgments are inverted from typical rankings, challenges the unconscious assumption that "higher rank equals better." What we choose to measure and what we define as "good" are reflections of societal values.