Global greenhouse gas emissions held steady in 2009 thanks to the recession. They actually fell in some rich countries while rising in China and India.A study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency "shows that China and India's average CO2 emissions per inhabitant are still well below those in industrialised countries. In India the emissions are now 1.4 tonnes per person and in China 6 tonnes, compared with 10 tonnes per person in the Netherlands and 17 tonnes in the United States.
China's 9% growth in emissions came despite its doubling of wind and solar energy capacity for the fifth year in a row.
The report highlights the rapid growth in global emissions in the past 40 years. They are now 25% higher than in 2000, almost 40% more than in 1990, and double 1970's figure of 15.5bn tonnes. The big growth in Chinese and Indian emissions has been relatively recent. China has doubled its emissions in nine years, and India's have risen by 50% in that time."
It appears that with future expansion of the global economy it will be hard to meet reduction obligations. The image at right represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide, what an average person consumes in a developed country per month.
The report encourages one to think about how each of us can make decisions to reduce our carbon footprint.
