Environment

Global carbon emissions rising rapidly - study

by Amitjha | September 25, 2008 at 09:43 pm

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These are some of the intresting findings of latest study on carbon emossion . The Global Carbon Project said in its report carbon dioxide emissions from mankind are growing about four times faster since 2000 than during the 1990s, despite efforts by a number of nations to rein in emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. At present, the Kyoto Protocol, the main global treaty to tackle global warming, binds only 37 rich nations to emissions curbs from 2008.

Absolute value of all emissions going into the atmosphere every year are bigger coming from less developing countries than the developed world, China is now the top emitter ,China alone accounted for 60 percent of all growth in emissions. The United States was the second largest emitter, India would soon overtake Russia to become the world's third largest CO2 emitter.

The project is supported by the International Council for Science, the umbrella body for all national academies of science.

But Kyoto's first phase ends in 2012 and the pact doesn't commit developing nations to emissions caps. The United Nations is leading talks to expand Kyoto from 2013 and find a magic formula that brings on board all nations to commit to curbs on emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

According to the report, atmospheric CO2 concentration rose to 383 parts per million in 2007, or 37 percent above the level at the start of the industrial revolution, and is the highest level during the past 650,000 years.

It said the annual mean growth rate of atmospheric CO2 was 2.2 ppm per year in 2007, up from 1.8 ppm in 2006.

"This latest information on rising carbon dioxide emissions is a big wake-up call to industry, business and politicians," said professor Matthew England, joint director of the University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre.

Canadell said the credit crisis would most likely trim emissions growth.

"There is no doubt that the economic downturn will have an influence. But unless the big players, China, India, Russia and Japan, suffer as much as the United States is suffering, we'll see a small decline only."