How US Energy Emissions Compare (It’s Not Pretty)
This eye-opening map from the Sightline Institute's blog uses US Department of Energy figures to demonstrate how individual states stack up against nations from around the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions from energy use. The figures are especially astonishing when you look at the population comparisons (which can be found in spreadsheet form here). Just a couple of examples: Arizona, with 5.6 million residents, produces comparable emissions to Nigeria, with 122.8 million. And 19.2 New Yorkers manage to produce as much as 68.1 million Turks. Overall the map represents a comparison of fewer than 300 million Americans to more than 1.5 billion people in the other nations listed.
9:57 AM EDT on July 2, 2007
This eye-opening map from the Sightline Institute’s blog uses US Department of Energy figures to demonstrate how individual states stack up against nations from around the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions from energy use. The figures are especially astonishing when you look at the population comparisons (which can be found in spreadsheet form here). Just a couple of examples: Arizona, with 5.6 million residents, produces comparable emissions to Nigeria, with 122.8 million. And 19.2 New Yorkers manage to produce as much as 68.1 million Turks. Overall the map represents a comparison of fewer than 300 million Americans to more than 1.5 billion people in the other nations listed.
Sarah Goodyear is a journalist and author who has covered cities and transportation for publications such as Grist, CityLab, and Streetsblog.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog New York City
Rampant Placard Abuse is Mucking Up This Bike Lane in Downtown Brooklyn
Illegally parked cars with government placards are filling up delivery zones and forcing trucks into the Schermerhorn Street bike lane, DOT said.
April 13, 2026
Mamdani Is Falling Short of New York City’s Greenway Dream
Advocates had hoped Mayor Mamdani would quickly adopt simple policies to improve how the city creates and maintains green infrastructure. He must get back on track, they say.
April 13, 2026
Push Grows To Move Parking Enforcement From NYPD To DOT
Two community boards want the job to go to the agency already in charge of the streets.
April 13, 2026
Monday’s Headlines: A Century of Days Edition
Frankly, there's nothing wrong with taking stock at various milestones, but the mayor's "100th Day" speech was really a look forward. Plus other news.
April 13, 2026
FIRST ON STREETSBLOG: Mamdani To Fully Fund Trash Containerization
The new mayor is restarting the Trash Revolution.
April 12, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.