Greenhouse gas emissions—and CO2, the most significant of these—are one of the world’s primary long-term concerns. Today, significant investments are being made in the decarbonization of the economy—that is, to drastically reduce these emissions. In this context, which sector of the economy emits the most CO2 relative to the revenue it generates in dollars?

ANSWER 

Public utilities. This sector generates 2,634 metric tons of CO2 for every US$1 million in revenue. It is followed by the materials sector (918 metric tons per US$1 million in revenue) and the energy sector (571 metric tons).