The Following statistics were compiled by data collected by the World bank. Some data was not current, therefore the CO2 emissions and KWH per capita are from the year 2000. When newer data becomes available, it will be posted. These statistics are delivered on a per capita basis. This is to ensure that population is taken accounted for. Its only logical that a larger country will pollute more than a smaller country. The per capita organization allows each country to be viewed on a fair level playing field.
The above chart shows an interesting comparison. Of the 6 nations of the highest GDP, the United States uses considerably more energy per capita than any other country. China, on the other hand, uses much less by comparison. But China's the leading polluter right? China does pollute the most overall, but this is mostly because nearly 1/5 of the world lives there. If the United States had the same population, the comparison of pollution would be 1000% more than China's current pollution. Put into that light, the United States is the obvious dominant polluter, or the country with the most potential to reduce its needed energy. This is especially true since the United States has nearly the Gross Domestic Product of the other 5 countries combined. See Below.
As you can see, the United States (non surprisingly) has a large chunk of change (dispite our "economic crisis"). For example, if we gave a populously proportional amout of money to Ethiopia, they would consider themselves rich beyond their wildest dreams. This narrates the undertone of our country's tendancy towards the belief "If we're not growing, we're in a depression". It is quite proposterous.
This statistic deserves a little explaining. This basically shows how much Carbon dioxide (Kg)(the leading Greenhouse Gas) a country produces for every Kilowatt Hour of electricity. So, in other words, how pollutive their country is for the energy they are using. You might be surprised to see that France beats Germany and Japan (two countries known for their energy conservation) by a longshot. This is most likely because over half of France's electricity comes from Nuclear Power. When considering CO2 emissions, they are excellent. If we were to discuss Radioactive waste, however, they would be the worst on the list (per capita) by far.
What is the largest traded commodity in the world?
Water
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