Are total emissions or per-capita emissions a better gauge when comparing the CO2 emissions of various countries? Why? Emissions per capita is a better gauge because countries with higher populations would be expected to have higher CO2 emissions. Total emissions are a better gauge because they let you see how much each country is producing. Emissions per capita is a better gauge because it shows the number of people divided by the emissions per country. Total emissions are a better gauge because it doesn't use the population.