Originally Posted by
Roody
What is there about "per capita" that you cannot (or will not) understand? Per capita means per person. It's people who make the pollution, so we must concentrate on the people who make it, not the countries.
As an American, I pump out five times as much carbon as a Chinese person. As an Australian, you pump out even more than I do. A Nigerian pumps out practically none.
It doesn't make any sense to get Nigerians (or even Chinese) individuals to pollute less. They are not the problem--you and I are the problem. When it comes time to do something about pollution, you need to concentrate on the people who are causing the problem--not on the innocent bystanders in less developed countries. We're trying to cram nine billion people into this planet--we must work together, face the problem, and make sensible plans to solve the problem. Not quibble about it until it's too late.
Yes and no. Per capita emissions are certainly relevant, but one cannot ignore the impact of simply having more people. If a nation chooses to control its population, should it not be allowed to emit more per person than one whose people breed without restraint?
Then there's the issue of just which emissions should count. Much of China's emissions are the result of producing consumer goods for the people of Europe, Australia and North America. Are those Chinese emissions or are they European, Australian and North American emissions?
I'm not arguing that we don't need to reduce our emissions, and quickly. However, there's lots more to this than the per capita data.