We are already 1.09 billion Decarmian people

The Decarmian Concept

Today, approximately 1.09 billion people worldwide already live with less than 2 tCO₂/year/person — spread across the most sober countries in the global carbon emissions ranking. We call them Decarmians: people whose lifestyle is already close to the global climate target compatible with a liveable planet.

Alongside them, approximately 229 million vegan people can be considered Decarians: they are not yet necessarily Decarmians in every area, but they have already taken an essential part of the journey by significantly reducing their food-related carbon footprint. In DECA's logic, they accomplish roughly a quarter of the path corresponding to the food challenge toward a life at 2 tCO₂/year/person.

Our ambition is clear: double the number of Decarmians by 2050, then multiply it tenfold by 2100. This is not just about reducing emissions, but about building a new global culture: a culture of chosen restraint, climate justice, low-carbon food, soft mobility, responsible housing and meaningful consumption.

The Decarmian is not a fringe figure of the future: they already exist. DECA's goal is to make them visible, desirable, measurable — and progressively mainstream.

The Decarian Concept

A Decarian is a person who seeks to live with a carbon footprint compatible with a liveable planet, i.e. approximately 2 tCO₂ per year per person.

Being a Decarian does not mean being perfect, nor changing everything at once. It is a progressive path toward a more sober, more equitable and more conscious life. A Decarian acts on the four major domains of everyday life: food, travel, housing and consumption.

A person can start with a single domain: eating plant-based, travelling without flying, insulating their home, buying less and better, sharing, repairing or reusing. Each action becomes a step toward a low-carbon life.

The Decarian is not only someone who reduces their emissions: they are a person who participates in a new culture, where quality of life no longer depends on overconsumption, but on chosen restraint, cooperation and respect for life.

The Decarian is the inhabitant of the decarbonized world.

Decarmians and Decarians: Two Steps of the Same Path

In DECA's logic, two levels must be distinguished.

A Decarmian is a person who already lives with a carbon footprint below 2 tCO₂/year/person. Their lifestyle is therefore already compatible with the global climate target of a liveable planet. The Decarmian represents the achieved horizon: a truly decarbonized, sober, balanced and sustainable life.

A Decarian is a person who is not yet necessarily below 2 tCO₂/year, but who is committed to the path toward that goal. To be considered a Decarian, one must have completed at least a quarter of the journey, meaning having deeply transformed at least one of the four major domains of everyday life: food, mobility, housing or consumption.

For example, a vegan person can be considered a Decarian if they have significantly reduced their food footprint. They may not yet be a Decarmian, but they have already taken a major step toward a life at 2 tCO₂/year.

The Decarian is one who begins and advances. The Decarmian is one who has reached the threshold of a fully low-carbon life.

How to Join the 1.09 Billion Decarmians and 229 Million Decarians?

Joining the DECA movement means first identifying as an actor of decarbonization.

Everyone can register on our site to join the community of Decarians — those who begin their journey toward a life at 2 tCO₂/year/person — or Decarmians, those who already live below that threshold.

Once registered, everyone can use DECA's tools to:

• quantify their personal carbon impact;
• track their progress in the four major domains: food, housing, shopping and transport;
• discover concrete carbon avoidance solutions;
• share useful addresses: plant-based restaurants, AMAPs, renovation artisans, repair shops, reuse platforms, low-carbon mobility solutions;
• join or create local decarbonization circles via the forum.

The goal is simple: make visible the people who are already acting, help those who are starting, and build a global map of low-carbon solutions.

DECA enables everyone to move from intention to action: measure, avoid, share, progress — and participate in a new culture of living, sober, cooperative and desirable.

Tables by Continent

The tables below present an estimate of the two main DECA communities in the world, aggregated by continent. They make visible the populations already committed to decarbonization, measure their weight by region, and evaluate their potential contribution to a global transition toward a low-carbon life.

To go further, consult the detailed ranking of 228 countries and territories: carbon footprint per capita, share of the population living below 2 tCO₂ and total national emissions — sorted, filterable and georeferenced.

Sources: DECA estimates based on cross-referenced data (UN, ADEME, IPCC, national vegan panels). The figures are orders of magnitude intended to make visible the populations committed to decarbonization.