Slide 10 of 10
Notes:
- By country, the world’s dominant coal consumers—the United States and China—were also the top two contributors to world carbon emissions in 1997, at 24 percent and 13 percent of the world total, respectively. By 2020, however, the U.S. share of world carbon emissions is projected to decline to 20 percent, with China’s share increasing to 21 percent. The substantial increase in carbon emissions in China over the period is attributable to expectations of strong economic growth and the country’s continuing heavy reliance on fossil fuels, especially coal which remains the country’s primary source of energy.
- Carbon emissions in China are projected to increase by 836 million metric tons between 1990 and 2010, and an another 634 million metric tons are projected to be added between 2010 and 2020. Emissions in China surpass those of Western Europe and the United States by the end of the forecast horizon in the IEO2000 reference case.
- The region of Central and South America is also projected to increase its worldwide share of carbon emissions. The countries of this region have historically depended upon hydroelectricity to a large degree for electric power. This has proved to be problematic in times of drought as experienced, for example, in Chile where hydro typically supplies around 80 percent of the country’s central grid, but in 1999 it could supply only 15 percent. In an effort to diversify the fuel mix in the electric power sector and decrease dependence on hydroelectric power, many countries are introducing gas-fired generation and this move, along with strong projected growth in oil-dominant transportation in the region results in a 174-percent increase in carbon emissions between 1997 and 2020, compared to a 36-percent increase in U.S. carbon emissions and 155 percent increase in China.
