The line graph illustrates how per capita carbon emissions in Portugal, Italy, Sweden and the UK changed from 1967 to 2007, with units provided in metric tonnes (MT).
Overall, the UK was the largest emitter throughout despite consistent drops, while Sweden also cut its emissions over time. In contrast, Italy and Portugal showed increasing trends, narrowing the initial gap in the CO2 emissions significantly.
In 1967, the British and Swedes stood out, with individuals producing about 11 and 9 MT of CO2, respectively. The former figure decreased noticeably over time, falling below 9 MT in 2007, yet the UK still remained the leading emitter. Emissions in Sweden also dropped despite a surge in the first decade, when they almost converged with those of the UK at over 10 MT. Nevertheless, this number had almost halved to a low of only around 5.5 MT by 2007.
Italy and Portugal bucked these downward trends. An average Italian, initially ranked third, saw their emissions rise from just over 4 MT to almost 8 in 1997, which leveled off thereafter. Portugal’s emissions rose more modestly, increasing to only about 5.5 MT, up from a mere 1.7 in 1967, converging with the figure for Sweden.