Interactive version at http://bit.ly/azlCKw

The activities of our everyday lives are critical to determining the magnitude of GHG emissions and, hence, global warming. How much electricity we use, what type of car or how often we drive, and our consumption of goods are some of the most tangible drivers of GHG emissions. As consumers of natural resources, our habits and actions directly and indirectly produce GHG emissions and will become more acute as populations continue to grow.

Therefore, it is instructive to calculate emissions per capita. This metric is particularly useful for placing a U.S. state into context, since an area may have relatively few total emissions due to a smaller population, but may still be carbon intensive on a per person basis. Conversely, an area may have a relatively high absolute emissions total resulting from a large population, but that population may be less carbon intensive overall.

This graphic was made using Google's Public Data Explorer; see http://bit.ly/azlCKw. Text adapted from "Charting the Midwest" by J. Larsen, et al. World Resources Institute.