New Study: On January 19, Americans’ 2022 Energy Use Surpassed Africans’ Energy Use for Entire Year

New CGD Analysis Highlights Americans’ Shocking Energy Use Compared to Other Nations

WASHINGTON – As of January 19, the average American has used more energy than the average resident of sub-Saharan Africa will in an entire year, according to new analysis from the Center for Global Development. 

“Just a few days of life in the US produces more emissions than people in many low-income countries produce in the entire year,” said Euan Ritchie, a policy analyst at the Center for Global Development.

Researchers at the global think tank looked at the vast inequality in energy use and CO2 emissions between richer and poorer countries and mapped out the specific dates of the year when Americans are set to surpass other countries’ annual energy use, as well as the average for regions like Africa.

“The fact that people in the U.S. emit more CO2 in a couple of days than many low-income countries do in an entire year suggests that the opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions in these countries are minimal, given how little energy most use. The reality is that addressing climate change needs to be a global priority and rich countries have a lot of work to do,” said Ritchie.

You can read the full analysis and see data for individual countries at /blog/new-years-resolution-us-climate-hypocrisy.

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