Top 10 Biggest Polluters in The World
No matter how green an individual is, if we don’t act together, as a community, as a state, as a nation and even as human beings, we have no chance to save the world. Don’t get us wrong – every single environment friendly act is important, every single recycling bin is crucial and every single reused product is a cornerstone of making the world a better, cleaner and greener place, but if there are no legislation on state level, there won’t be any real progress.
This being said we must admit that in our economic system restraining factories and facilities form producing at full capacity is a death sentence to any country’s economy. We say this to show, that the solution of the problem is not that easy and especially for countries with high share of manufacture in their GDP. That of course doesn’t mean that this countries should have a free pass to destroy the environment. This being said here are the top 10 polluters in 2017.
- Canada
Canada usually is not considered as one of the most polluted countries, but in fact they emits 557 million metric tons of CO2 per year. They have polluted air, water and soil, which is of great concern to the local people, since it poses a serious risk for them. During the past past 25 years levels of pollution has drastically decreased, but still Canada is one of the most polluted countries in the world.
- South Korea
Though not very large as a landmass, South Korea is one of the biggest economies on Earth. This imminently causes enormous pollution problems and it comes as no surprise, that this small East Asian country is in the top ten polluters of the world. Annually it emits about 592 million metric tons per year. Until not so long ago the government in South Korea was declaring that Korea’s high air pollution levels are due to the close proximity of China. Researches found though, that the problem lies at home and not in China. In the country there are 53 coal-powered plants and 20 more are planned to be build in the next few years. Now Seoul is the third most polluted city in the world right after Beijing and Delhi.
- Saudi Arabia
The desert covered Kingdom is the largest oil exporter in OPEC, which immensely impacts the environment. The Urbanization in the country causes much higher levels of air pollution and combined with the oil production waste it makes the country the 8th most polluted country in the world.The country emits around 601 million metric tons per year.
- Iran
Iran’s pollution problem is very similar to the one in Saudi Arabia, only greater. Dust storms, dry weather and urban pollution is combined with refinery operation and industrial effluents. This makes Iran the 7th most polluted country in the world which emits 648 million metric tons every year. The problem in the urban areas is so big, that the Iranian government closed schools several times a year due to the air pollution.
- Germany
The biggest economy in EU is naturally one of the biggest polluters in the world. The German economy emits around 798 million metric tons per year. The industry though is only one of the factors of this pollution. Germany is one of the most mobilized countries in the world with it’s vast network of highways. Frankfurt on the other hand is one of the biggest airports in the world, thus vehicles and airplanes contribute to the pollution a lot more than in other countries.
- Japan
Japan is a very highly dense populated countries which contributes to the pollution. Though the country strives to become a clean energy haven, it still is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Japan’s air pollution is not the biggest problem of this island country. Waste management, global warming and electronic waste in Japan. The country is one of the leaders in electronics development and this kind of waste is enormous. The country emits around 1,237 million metric tons per year.
- Russia
Russia is the biggest country in the world with an enormous production and low population density. The high levels deforestation and logging, as well as the large and heavy industry in the country creates a big problem for this vast country. Air Pollution in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd and other highly populated industrial cities is causing a lot of health problems for the population. Nearly 17% of diseases in children and 10% of adults is attributed to air pollution. The biggest problem is that the country strives to be the biggest economy in the world and is highly unlikely to prioritize clean energy rather than big production. Annually Russia emits 1,617 million metric tons.
- India
India is the country with the second largest population on earth and one of the most fast growing economies on the planet. This immediately causes a very serious pollution problem. The country emits about 2,274 million metric tons per year and the air pollution is rivaling China’s as the world’s deadliest. 1.1 million people die each year prematurely as a result of air pollution. New Delhi is now one of the most polluted cities in the world, second only to Beijing. The worst part is that there will be no solution to this problem in the near future, since the country is trying to rival Chinese and Japanese economies and the government is trying to industrialize the every part of the subcontinent.
- USA
The biggest economy in the world so far with high production, oil reserves and giant metropolitan. The U.S. citizens are one of the most mobilized and the traffic on the streets and in the skies is so high, that air pollution is becoming a more and more pressing problem. The whole infrastructure of American cities forces people to travel by cars which combined with the industry emits 5,414 million metric tons of CO2 every years. The air pollution in the USA is a great concern of many people and is causing thousands of people to seek medical attention every year.
- China
China is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. The country emits more than 10,375 million metric tons per year, which causes serious health problems for the population, especially in the big industrial cities. Beijing is the most polluted city in the world where there are literally weeks when locals don’t see the sun because of the smog. Many citizens wear protective masks when they go outside and the local authorities have installed giant screens, which show sunrises and sunsets, to prevent depression. Nevertheless air pollution in China causes millions of deaths every year and although the country has a thriving economy, it is also the biggest polluter in the world.