These are the world’s top 10 polluters, ranked by their absolute greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. Absolute emissions (carbon dioxide equivalent — million tonnes per year.
1. China – 6,027:-
Although, China officially overtook the US as the world’s biggest CO2 emitter, research has shown that almost a third of Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.
2. United States – 5,769 :-
USA drew worldwide criticism for failing to adopt the greatest international agreement for the reduction of greenhouse gases, The Kyoto Protocol, accepted by nearly every other country. The US has 4% of the world’s population but produces about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions.
3. Russia – 1,587 :-
Russia has increased its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an encouraging development before United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country would try to reduce greenhouse emissions by 25 percent by 2020, not by 15 percent as was planned before.
4. India – 1,324 :-
Four days prior to the Copenhagen climate summit, India announced that it will reduce its emission intensity by 20-25 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level. India’s emissions intensity is already lower than other emerging economies and had decreased 17.6 percent between 1990 and 2005.
5. Japan – 1,236 :-
Japan, the world’s fifth-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, announced in June this year that it will target a cut in emissions by 15 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.Japan has one of the strictest environmental protection laws in place.
6. Germany – 798 :-
German government has established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU’s Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive.
7. Canada – 572 :-
The province of Alberta is Canada’s top polluter. It is where seven of the top ten polluters of the country is located, including Syncrude and Suncor.
8. Britain – 523 :-
The nation has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010.
9. South Korea – 488 :-
South Korea announced its first greenhouse gas reduction target in November, pledging to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases by 4% below 2005 levels by 2020. South Korea is one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. If no action is taken to cut emissions, South Korea is expected to produce 813 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2020.
10. Mexico – 437 :-
The environmental issues that plague Mexico include scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast.
The nation also has raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border.