7 Urgent Climate Action Points
Climate is continually a top priority for many – yet as individuals we often wonder, what can I do?
At a recent Connected Women Leaders convening, Mary Robinson shared 7 climate actions and facts for climate warriors to know and share to their networks, in the hope that by spreading knowledge, we are spreading action.
- COUNTRIES: the top 8 countries produce 63% of annual GHG emissions. The top 12 countries produce 69%.
Biggest GHG producers in 2019 were China, US, India, EU, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Iran, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia
Source: https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions?country=
- PEOPLE: the top 10% richest produced 52% of cumulative carbon emissions in the last 25 years. The top 1% richest were responsible for 15% of cumulative emissions.
Highest per capita emissions are in Qatar, Trinidad & Tobago, Kuwait, Brunei, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Australia, US, Luxembourg, Canada
Sources:
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions
- CITIES: 25 cities produce 52% of global emissions from the 167 largest urban areas in the world; and only 60% have traceable emission reduction targets
Most of the highest cities are in Asia and most of the emissions are due to either industrial energy use or transportation.
Handan, Shanghai, Suzhou, Dalian, Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Qingdao, Moscow, Istanbul, Chongqing, Bangkok etc.
Notes: Examined 167 cities in 53 countries. Emissions consider residential and institutional buildings; commercial buildings; industrial buildings (energy use); industrial process and fugitive emissions; on-road transportation (e.g., cars, buses); railways, aviation, and waterway; waste disposal (wastewater treatment, landfills); and other (agriculture, mining).
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2021.696381/full#h4
- COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS: 5% of power plants (1,454 in total) produce 73% of global emissions from the electricity sector
Most of them are in the eastern US, East Asia and India; a few in Europe. In 2018, the top ten worst were in Poland, India, South Korea (2x), Taiwan, China, Germany, India, South Korea, and Japan (Table 2).
Source: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac13f1/meta
- MEAT & DAIRY PRODUCERS: just 20 farms produce more GHG emissions annually than countries like Germany or the UK. 5 companies produce more than a single major oil company.
Top 10 companies in order: JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill, BRF, Vion, Nippon Meat Packers, Smithfield Foods, Marfrig, Danish Crown, Hormel Foods
Source: https://www.boell.de/en/meat-atlas
- COMPANIES: just 20 companies produced 35% of global carbon emissions from 1965 to 2018. 70 companies have produced 70% of emissions since 1988.
Top 20: Saudi Aramco, Chevron, Gazprom, ExxonMobil, National Iranian Oil Co, BP, Shell, Coal India, PEMEX, Petroleos de Venezuela, PetroChina, Peabody Energy, Abu Dhabi National Oil, Poland Coal, Sonatrach, Kuwait Petroleum Corp, Total SA, BHP Billton, ConocoPhillips, Petroleo Brasileiro
Source: https://climateaccountability.org/carbonmajors.html
- PLASTIC WASTE: 20 companies are responsible for 55% of plastic waste.
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