The Carbon Ledger: China Pollutes Less per Person Than America or Britain
China is often portrayed as the world’s leading polluter, yet the numbers tell another story. The United States and Europe burned through most of the planet’s carbon budget to industrialise and preserve their prosperity. An average American still uses almost three times more energy than a Chinese citizen. By any fair per-person and historical measure, the West remains the greatest emitter, and China’s industrialisation is occurring at a fraction of that cost.