The United States is the second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Still, the country boasts some of the most active climate scientists, organizations, and politicians committed to fighting global warming.
 | Picture Gallery (click on the picture to start)A protester holds up a sign during a demonstration in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The Step It Up campaign urges U.S. Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 (Photo: Reuters) |
The United States produces around a quarter of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions while representing less than five percent of the world’s population. While these figures are clearly disproportionate, U.S. leaders argue that the Gross National Product (GNP) of the country also represents 25 percent of global GNP. The United States is the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China.
Energy Consumption
The United States has long been a very large consumer of energy. Figures from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) show that the average American was responsible for 24 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, compared to 11 tons in the United Kingdom and France, 5 tons in Brazil, and 2 tons in India.
America's massive carbon footprint is due to its sheer size and economic success. Over the last 25 years, the United States has enjoyed the largest annual economic and population growth rate of any mature industrial economy in the world.
U.S. Americans use a lot of energy to run their many electronic appliances, and heat or cool buildings, particularly during the very hot summers and cold winters that affect much of the continent. Americans also drive a lot, owing to their country’s size and relatively cheap gasoline. Retail prices are less than half the level in Germany or the United Kingdom. Most American families have at least two vehicles.
In the search for good schools and safe environments, many Americans have moved away from city centres pushing the boundaries of suburbia. With little or no investment in public transportation, gas usage rose and travel distances increased during the late 20th century.
Climate Politics
But for years, the world’s biggest economy was reluctant to take steps to reduce its carbon footprint. Of 53 countries surveyed by Germanwatch in 2006, only two countries scored worse than the United States in terms of emissions trends and climate policy. While most other industrialized nations have agreed to the reductions in CO2 emissions mandated by the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. has not.
Because of strong opposition from both the Democratic and Republican parties, the treaty was never ratified by the U. S. Senate. President Barack Obama has now promised to revive stalling negotiations on a follow-up treaty to the Kyoto Protocol. Still, a number of U.S. politicians are opposed to mandatory emissions caps, saying it would retard economic growth and lead to higher unemployment.
Instead of the Kyoto Protocol, political leaders in Washington have tended to prefer non-binding, voluntary measures aimed at improving efficiency and promoting technological solutions – a policy that environmentalists say has so far been ineffective, because the country’s emissions continue to increase.
But the tune in Washington is changing. Public awareness about the risks of global warming is growing, and local policy initiatives to reduce emissions have proven politically popular in states like California. However, the ongoing economic crisis that has hit the U.S. particularly hard might dillute radical steps to address global warming.
Anticipating future policies and increasing consumer demand for energy efficient products, U.S. companies may actually be ahead of their government. They are already investing billions of dollars to develop new products and services. When oil prices reached record-highs in 2008, foreign and domestic auto manufacturers started to see increasing demand for more fuel-efficient cars in the U.S. market.
As in China and Europe, the renewable energy and biofuels sectors in the United States are growing rapidly. According to the Worldwatch Institute, around 10,000 U.S. businesses and 110,000 households are now using certified “green” electricity generated from renewable resources.
editor: Valdis Wish
latest update: April 21, 2009
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