You have to compare those numbers per capita. US is 14.2 ton per capita per year, China 8.8. Worst are the oil states that have above 25. Australia is at 15, most EU countries are at 5 or lower. There are various world data databases on line where you can find these numbers. Just use google. Dont jump to conclusion on there numbers, there are many more factors to consider such as population density. By the way, Netherlands is at 7.5, my country is one of the worst in the EU.

If anyone is interested in a possible pathway that pays for itself, please have a look at rewiringaustralia.org I built a new house last year, fully electrified no gas at all, induction cooking, reverse cycle aircon/heating, heat pump hot water system and installed solar and batteries. Currently running at 98 plus self sufficiency, and that also includes charging my EV. If we all did this, quickly, and its readily available, reliable and cheap batteries coming down in price quickly now we would be getting very close to turning around our global emissions. It will not only go a massively long way to providing a sustainable future for our grandchildren, but many islands in the pacific may just avoid being under water.

easy medium

Phil, theres also a US version - rewiringamerica.org. While were not as fortunate to have a new house, we are trying to retro-fit. Just installed an induction cooktop, have had my EV Chevy Bolt since 2018 and love it!, upped insulation, installed metal roof, and our next project is a heat pump to replace our oil furnace. Up-front costs arent fun, but there are some tax breaks available at least for now, in the US. Good for you!

Mr O - Can we compare per capita of China vs the 5 next largest polluters so that the population advantage that China has is treated more equally

@KT what do you mean by population advantage I do not understand that. Without checking the numbers exactly but I know India has a slightly larger population than China and a very low per capita CO2 emission. If you want to know all the details, find the Our World In Data site and look around. It is all there. If you are a programmer, the complete databases and code are available on GitHub, username owid.

Mr O thank you for the response. I shall look at the Our World in Data site.

Mr O - The OWID site is great. I think the per capita data is less meaningful than the total output data. China is clearly the largest producer of CO2 emissions.