An average American today (2012 data) produces 21.55 metric tons (47,510 lbs) of CO2 equivalents a year. 1 A world of 10 billion people at the material standard of today's average American would therefore produce 216 billion metric tons of CO2, a pyramid of CO2 equivalent 2 in volume to 48 million Great Pyramids of Giza. The pyramid represents the volumes of CO2 at normal temperature and atmosphere (NTP). 3
1 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report: 1990-2014, EPA, 2016; https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html (accessed June 1st, 2016).
2 Carbon dioxide equivalent is used to measure various types of greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential.
3 NTP means at a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and an absolute pressure of 1 atm. International Carbon Bank & Exchange, 2014; http://www.icbe.com/carbondatabase/CO2volumecalculation.asp(accessed June 1st, 2016).