Definition
Carbon dioxide emissions per capita is the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a country as a consequence of human (production and consumption) activities, divided by the population of the country. In the global carbon dioxide emission estimates of the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, the calculated country emissions of carbon dioxide include emissions from consumption of solid, liquid and gas fuels; cement production; and gas flaring. National reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that follows the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines is based on national emission inventories and covers all sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions as well as carbon sinks (such as forests).
Consumption of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in tons (ozone-depleting potential) is the sum of the consumption of the weighted tons of the individual substances in the group—metric tons of the individual substance (defined in the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer) multiplied by its ozone-depleting potential. Ozone-depleting substances are any substance containing chlorine or bromine that destroys the stratospheric ozone layer. The stratospheric ozone absorbs most of the biologically damaging ultraviolet radiation.
Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
Target 9. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
The indicator signifies the commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and progress in phasing out the consumption of CFCs by countries that have ratified the Montreal Protocol. Carbon dioxide emissions are largely a by-product of energy production and use. They account for the largest share of greenhouse gases associated with global warming.
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987) are now recognized as having been successful in preventing the global environmental catastrophe that could have been caused by stratospheric ozone depletion. The Montreal Protocol aims to reduce and eventually eliminate the emissions of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances by ceasing their production and consumption. The phasing out of ozone-depleting substances and their replacement with less harmful substances or new processes are aimed at the recovery of the ozone layer.
CFCs are considered most representative of the protocol’s efforts towards phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances because they were the first to be targeted for elimination.
Carbon dioxide emissions per capita are calculated by dividing carbon dioxide emissions by the number of people in the national population. The 1950-to-present carbon dioxide emission estimates are derived primarily from energy statistics published by the United Nations, using the methods of “Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuels: A Procedure for Estimation and Results for 1950–82”. National reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines. Carbon dioxide emissions can be expressed in carbon dioxide or converted to carbon content.
The consumption of CFCs is the national production plus imports, minus exports, minus destroyed quantities, minus feedstock uses of individual CFCs. National annual consumption of CFCs is the sum of the weighted tons (consumption in metric tons multiplied by the estimated ozone-depleting potential) of the individual CFCs.
National carbon dioxide emissions are estimated from detailed data on emission sources, using source-specific emission factors. Emission inventories are usually compiled by energy or environment ministries. Annex I Parties (developed countries) to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change submit their data on greenhouse gas emissions to the organization’s secretariat through an annual reporting format. Reporting of Non-Annex I Parties is voluntary and occasional. Where national emission inventories are absent, official sources are supplemented by other sources and estimates.
Estimation of the consumption of CFCs requires data on national production plus imports, minus exports, minus stocks destroyed. These can be derived from national production and international trade statistics.
World Resource Institute, earthtrends.wri.org.
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre, cdiac.esd.ornl.gov, cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis/meth_reg.htm and ghg.unfccc.int.
“Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuels: A Procedure for Estimation and Results for 1950–82”, 1984, G. Marland and R.M. Rotty, Tellus, 36(B): 232–61.
United Nations Environment Programme, www.unep.org/ozone and www.unep.ch/ozone/15-year-data-report.pdf.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, www.unfccc.int.
World Meteorological Organization Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, www.ipcc.ch.
Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, 2001, United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/isd.htm).
World Development Indicators, annual, World Bank (www.worldbank.org/data).
Periodicity of measurement
Data are usually collected annually.
International data comparisons
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre, cdiac.esd.ornl.gov, cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis/meth_reg.htm and ghg.unfccc.int.
United Nations Environment Programme, www.unep.org/ozone and www.unep.ch/ozone/15-year-data-report.pdf.
World Development Indicators, annual, World Bank (www.worldbank.org/data).
For carbon dioxide emissions, trend data are more reliable than data comparisons between countries.
For ozone depletion, the indicator does not reveal much about current trends in deterioration of the ozone layer because of delays in ecosystem response.
Agencies
Carbon dioxide:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
United Nations Statistics Division.
Chlorofluorocarbons:
United Nations Environment Programme, Ozone Secretariat.