Bernie Sanders on climate change: what the evidence says · JRE #2341
SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
We're number two. We used to be one. They are number one right now. I think they have an enormous percent of global. I think it's very high.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
The ranking is correct. NOAA notes that until 2000 the United States emitted more carbon dioxide per year than any other country, but since the mid-2000s China's annual emissions have been the world's largest, with the US falling to second (about 5 billion metric tons per year, roughly 13.5 percent of global emissions as of 2021). China's share of global CO2 is indeed high: recent estimates put it at roughly a quarter to a third of the world total, far ahead of any other single country. These figures track annual emissions, not cumulative historical emissions, where the United States remains the largest contributor. On annual output, the on-air statement that China is number one and the US number two is accurate.