How carbon moves around the world
In the second part of The Carbon Trade series, ShrinkThatFootprint.com analyzes the major importers and exporters of fuel and products and explains how carbon moves around the world, both before and after its combustion.
The big exporters of fuel carbon are those regions and countries that produce more fossil fuels than they use at home.
The big five fuel exporters are the Middle East, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Australia. Together these five regions export 63% of carbon in traded fuels.
Indeed they are each so rich in fossil fuels in the form of oil, natural gas and coal that each of them export more carbon in fuels than they create through combusting fuels within their borders.
Each tonne of oil, natural gas or coal that is exported by these regions is imported somewhere else.
It is widely known that the US is dependent on foreign oil, so much so they banned crude exports back in the seventies oil shocks. But the US isn’t the only region living off fossil fuels from other regions.
This fact is plain to see when we look at who the big importers of carbon in fuels are.
When taken together the countries that make up Europe (EU27) import more carbon in the form of fuels than the US. These two regions are the big fuel importers followed by Japan, China and South Korea, based on 2007 data.
Together these five regions import a staggering 71% of all carbon traded as fuels.
You may view more infographics on carbon pollution at Shrinkthatfootprint.com
