How high are Germany’s carbon emissions per capita?

What does CO₂ emissions per capita mean?

CO₂ emissions per capita refers to the amount of CO₂ emitted by one person in a given population, if total emissions were distributed equally across all individuals. CO₂ emissions per capita is often used to measure the ecological footprint of a person or a country and to compare them.

Per capita CO₂ emissions are calculated by taking the total amount of CO₂ emitted by a group of individuals or a country, and dividing it by the number of people in that group or country.

CO₂ emissions per capita can be calculated for a specific year or a specific time period. You can include direct CO₂ emissions from the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas in the calculation, and alternatively also add indirect emissions that result from the production of goods and services, land use and deforestation.

The results of these calculations are typically expressed in Tonnes of CO₂ per person, and are used to compare the environmental impact of different countries and regions and to develop policies for reducing CO₂ emissions.

Germany’s per capita CO₂ emissions in 2020

According to the Federal Environment Agency, Germany produced a total of 728.7 million Tonnes of CO₂ in 2020. Dividing this number by the population, the agency has calculated 8.8 Tonnes of CO₂ emissions in Germany per capita, per year.

All data are based on the latest figures from the European Environment Agency for 2020.

If we look at CO₂ emissions per capita by country, we are at the bottom of the league in the European Union.

What are Germany’s per capita CO₂ emissions comprised of?

The largest share of our CO₂ emissions per capita is consumption, which accounts for 4.42 Tonnes of CO₂ per year. Consumption refers to new electronic devices, clothing and other items we buy. Transportation, heating and food are the next largest categories.

The Data comes from the Federal Environment Ministry. Composition of CO₂ emissions per capita in Germany:

How high are CO₂ emissions per capita in other countries?

Europe’s (EU27) CO₂ emissions per capita are 7.4 Tonnes annually. CO₂ emissions per capita worldwide were 4.97 Tonnes in 2018. CO₂ emissions per capita worldwide increased 67 percent between 1990 and 2018.

Germany’s per capita CO₂ emissions rank in the middle of the world. Many countries in Europe already have lower per capita CO₂ emissions than Germany.

Austria emits 8.2 Tonnes of CO₂ per capita. Switzerland emits 4.8 Tonnes. CO₂ emission per capita in Sweden is only 4.7 Tonnes, while in Malta the figure is a mere 4.1 Tonnes.

CO₂ emissions per capita in the EU

How much CO₂ does a person emit each day?

If we assume an average CO₂ emission of 8.8 Tonnes per person annually in Germany, then the country’s daily CO₂ emission per capita is slightly more than 24 kg CO₂.

This means that through our behavior, each of us emits an average of 24 kg of CO₂ per day in Germany.

Isn’t it true that until China reduces its CO₂ emissions, we can’t make a difference no matter what we do?

An argument that is too often used in debates. People like to use China as an excuse to evade responsibility for more climate protection. Is it true that China is doing nothing to protect the climate? No. China started its energy transition a long time ago.

China has immense CO₂ emissions, it’s true. What is forgotten, however, is that per capita CO₂ emissions in China are actually lower than in Germany. The country’s high CO₂ emissions are mainly due to the size of China’s population. For the year 2020, CO₂ emissions in China amounted to 10.96 billion Tonnes of CO₂. However, 1.411 billion people lived in China in 2020. If we divide China’s CO₂ emissions by its population, we arrive at 7.77 Tonnes of CO₂ emissions per capita.

In recent years, China has made considerable progress in expanding its renewable energies. Each year, the country installs 4 times as many wind turbines and solar panels as the rest of the world combined.

China also has the largest emissions trading system in the world. Their system was launched in 2021, and 2,200 Chinese companies are required to participate in it. It is similar to the EU emissions trading scheme, which we at ForTomorrow use to protect the climate.

Of course, not everything is perfect—China is also pushing ahead with the expansion of coal-fired power plants, and power shortages and blackouts remain. But the argument that China is doing nothing for climate protection has long been invalid. Before we criticize others, we should do everything we can to promote climate protection at home.

How high are CO₂ emissions per capita worldwide?

You will find below a list of countries with the highest and lowest per capita CO₂ emissions in the world. Saudi Arabia tops the list with CO₂ emissions per capita of 16.6 Tonnes of CO₂ per year. In 2021, Germany was the 9th largest CO₂ emitter per capita in the world, and well above the EU average of just over 6 Tonnes.

Country	CO2 emissions per capita (Tonnes)	Year
Luxembourg	38.2	2018
Qatar	25.3	2018
Saudi Arabia	16.6	2021
Canada	14.9	2021
Australia	14.3	2021
USA	14.2	2021
Russian Federation	13.5	2021
Korea	12.1	2021
China	8.7	2021
Japan	8.6	2021
Germany	8.1	2021
South Africa	7.3	2021
Sweden	7.1	2018
EU-27	6.3	2021
Spain	6.2	2018
Panama	6.0	2018
Nigeria	0.64	2021
Kenya	0.37	2021
Madagascar	0.15	2021
DR Congo	0.03	2021

Sources: 2021 global values (German), 2018 global values, Africa values

You will immediately notice that African countries have very low CO₂ emissions per capita, and rank among the lowest CO₂ emitters worldwide.

Of course it’s true that for any country with high CO₂ emissions, the fewer inhabitants it has, the greater its CO₂ emissions per capita will be. For example, although Germany is the 4th largest economy in the world and ranks 6th among the largest CO₂ emitters, it rates better in terms of CO₂ emissions per capita. This is because Germany spreads its CO₂ emissions over 83 million people when we calculate emissions per capita. Small nations that are very dependent on fossil fuels, such as Luxembourg and Qatar, have larger CO₂ emissions per capita.

How high are global CO₂ emissions by sector?

Energy is the sector with the largest CO₂ emissions globally. This is followed by transport and industrial combustion. Buildings comprise the fourth largest sector in global CO₂ emissions.

How high can per capita CO₂ emissions be if we want to reach the 1.5 degree target?

Estimates have been made of how much CO₂ per capita may be emitted in order to achieve the 1.5 degree target. These generally lie between one and two Tonnes of CO₂ per capita per year.

The German Federal Environment Agency estimates that less than one ton per year of CO₂ emissions per capita are necessary in order to be climate-compatible. This puts us on the safer side.

Some experts say we need to reduce our CO₂ emissions per capita to below two Tonnes. Whether it’s one ton or two Tonnes, we are currently at 8.8 Tonnes of CO₂ per person per year in Germany. If we want to reach the 1.5 degree target, we have to significantly cut back our CO₂ emissions now.

How can we reduce our CO₂ emissions per capita in Germany and Europe?

There are many ways to reduce CO₂ emissions.

• Switch to renewable energies: expand solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal energy plants to reduce the need for fossil fuels in power generation.
• Energy efficiency: reduce energy consumption through measures such as building refurbishment, more efficient appliances and lighting, and promotion of public transportation.
• Behavioral changes: use low-emission modes of transportation, such as cycling or public transport, and avoid meat consumption and unnecessary flights.
• Research and development: invest in technologies such as battery storage, hydrogen technology, and CO₂ storage.
• Reforestation of climate resilient mixed forests to filter existing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Investments in new technologies are important, but at the same time we already have a great invention in the world: trees.
• Collaboration: cooperation between governments, businesses, and civil society to make the necessary political and economic changes to promote a sustainable and climate-friendly society.

How can you reduce CO₂ emissions per capita in Germany and Europe right now?

At ForTomorrow, we buy CO₂ rights from industry. We then set these rights aside unused, so that companies no longer have access to them. In this way, we effectively reduce CO₂ emissions in Europe.

This means that companies and innovations that emit less CO₂ will prevail, thereby propelling energy transformation in Europe.

Together with us, you can reduce industrial CO₂ emissions and move Europe’s energy transition forward. Together, we can make Europe climate-neutral by 2040.