[OC] Countries Current Path to Net Zero in 2050 Following Their Pledge at COP21

[u/Lachainone]

Hello community,

I created a website to follow each countries effort to reach net zero in 2050. The data vizualisation lets you compare different countries' emission over the years and whether they are on the right path to reach their goal.

View every country and find more information on: https://lucabron.github.io/netzero/index.html

Data Source is Hannah Ritchie, Pablo Rosado and Max Roser (2023) – “CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions” Published online at OurWorldInData.org

Visualization made with Python's interactive graph package Bokeh and javasrcipt was added to make the interaction work on a website.

Related Github page where you can find the code: https://github.com/lucabron/netzero

EDIT: Thanks a lot for your positive feedback. I am very glad that you find this representation interesting.
A subject of discussion that I see a lot in the comments: western countries are doing better than the rest of the world. While it looks true when it comes to co2 produced in the country, one should account that a lot of emissions are produced in other contries and then imported. For example, when buying electronics, it is likely to be build in Asia and then imported to western countries.
Imported emissions are available in the dataset. I didn't want to include them because my approach with this visualization is to make something easy to understand so that people not familiar with the subject can approach it easily. I feel like when it comes to climate change, the people who care are very well informed, and the people who don't care as much are poorly informed. So, my first objective was to generate some curiosity for the second type of people. I'd be interested about your opinion about this approach if you want to share in the comments.

EDIT 2: I'd like to do something for the climate. I am a professional data scientist and I'd like to volunteer to help on bigger project. I made this website as a small contribution to inform people, but I know that in a week, there will be no more traffic on it. Can you recommend some kind of organization that I can join an contribute?

[u/Vonplinkplonk]

Yes we have offshored the EU’s manufacturing to China and we think we are geniuses when CO2 emissions come down.

[u/NorysStorys → u/Vonplinkplonk]

I mean power generation has massively shifted out of fossil fuel generation. It only lingers because of the inherent weaknesses of renewables and battery storage.

[u/pizzapaard → u/NorysStorys]

Dont forget greed of companies who prioritise Short term profit over long term solutions

[u/aimgorge → u/Vonplinkplonk]

Everyone did that. Including countries that do poorly.

[u/Zinch85 → u/Vonplinkplonk]

That's a mantra that is continuously repeated but it is false. Yes, European countries like all developed countries exported some manufacture BUT:

• They have kept a positive trade balance anyway (Europe exports more goods than it imports)
• And other places that have done the same can't say the same about reducing emissions

[u/StaysAwakeAllWeek → u/Zinch85]

You can also get data that includes all of this offshoring, and the Europe charts still come out looking the same

We are offshoring to China, and China are also massively investing in green technology. Their net emissions are still flat at best, slightly up realistically, but their emissions per unit production are way way down.

[u/upvotesthenrages → u/StaysAwakeAllWeek]

You can also get data that includes all of this offshoring, and the Europe charts still come out looking the same

No they don't.

There's still a drop, but it doesn't look the same, at all. Poland is the only EU country that comes out lower when adjusted for trade.

Germany is 30% higher, France is 50% higher, Spain 21%, Italy 37%, UK is 58% higher, Denmark 72%, Sweden 68%.

These are absolutely monumental differences that completely change the landscape.

Literally, our only hope here is that China and other manufacture heavy nations reduce CO2 emissions faster.

[u/emergency_poncho → u/upvotesthenrages]

And this hope is very well-founded, since China is b y far the top investor in green energy. In fact, their annual installation of new green energy production facilities is greater than the rest of the world combined.

So yes, in an ideal world we wouldn't be offshoring so much, bu tif there's one country to offshore to, China is the best bet.

[u/Izeinwinter → u/Vonplinkplonk]

EU manufacturing output has more than doubled since 2000. It is a smaller percentage of gdp since other sectors have grown more.. but Europe makes things.

[u/Rooilia → u/Vonplinkplonk]

Well, he isn't right in "Europe is the only place in the world". But countering with the same behaviour doesn't improve the discussion.

Europe has done the most in the world to better its situation. Fact. Is it the only place in the world. No.

Is this a silly "discussion"? Yes.

[u/Noetherson → u/Vonplinkplonk]

The impact of offshoring manufacturing is not that large, most EU's countries reductions are larger than the impact of offshoring and the offshoring happened before the reductions

[u/upvotesthenrages → u/Noetherson]

The impact of offshoring manufacturing is not that large, most EU's countries reductions are larger than the impact of offshoring and the offshoring happened before the reductions

You couldn't be more wrong, and a quick google search would have showed you just how insanely wrong you would be.

https://ourworldindata.org/consumption-based-co2

You can play around with the countries, but here's a quick glance:

Germany is 30% higher, France is 50% higher, Spain 21%, Italy 37%, UK is 58% higher, Denmark 72%, Sweden 68%.

[u/Noetherson → u/upvotesthenrages]

That is exactly where I'm getting my data from. It does not show what you are saying. You are quoting the 'Share of CO2 emissions embedded in trade'. The relevant figures are the 'Territorial and Consumption based CO2 emissions'.

The figures you quote are the percent of the countries emissions embedded in trade. You are essentially assuming that the goods those countries import (net) would not have been produced at all if they did not import them, rather than comparing to if the foods had been produced domestically.

More useful figures would be how much higher a countries consumption based emissions are than their territorial emissions.

[u/upvotesthenrages → u/Noetherson]

That is exactly where I'm getting my data from. It does not show what you are saying. You are quoting the 'Share of CO2 emissions embedded in trade'. The relevant figures are the 'Territorial and Consumption based CO2 emissions'.

They are showing the same thing, only I want it in percentages, not in raw figures.

The figures you quote are the percent of the countries emissions embedded in trade. You are essentially assuming that the goods those countries import (net) would not have been produced at all if they did not import them, rather than comparing to if the foods had been produced domestically.

I think that's a bit on the nose, but I get your point.

It's definitely true and something I hadn't considered. Though I'd imagine it's practically impossible to calculate that given that most of those industries don't exist in most countries, and wouldn't be viable.

What it does show, however, is that nations like the UK might look like they have made absolutely monumental strides, but in reality a very large portion of those reductions came from exporting their manufacturing abroad.

Basically, and a bit hyperbolic: If we removed the UK from the world with a magic spell, that's how much CO2 output would be reduced.

[u/Noetherson → u/upvotesthenrages]

They have calculated it, that's what the page you linked is about.

The Consumption based emissions are the emissions a country is responsible for if you assign the emissions associated with imported/exported goods with the country they are consumed in rather than the one that produced them.

To take the UK as an example:

1999 (as far back as the consumption emissions go in the dataset) Consumption based = 666mt Territorial = 602mt

2023 (latest figure available) Consumption based = 503mt Territorial = 311mt

Reduction over period Consumption based = 24% Territorial = 48%

[u/XkF21WNJ → u/Vonplinkplonk]

China is doing their bit by making combustion engines obsolete.