Green house gas emissions from rich nations was close to an all-time high in 2005 according to new UN data. This in spite of world-wide curbs aimed at combating global warming.
Chief Offenders? The U.S., which did not join the Kyoto treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Russia, whose industrial resurgence has raised emissions levels closer to those seen before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to the UN Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn, the 40 leading industrial nations had total emissions of18.2 billion tons in 2005, a slight increase from 18.1 billion in 2004, and just below the record of 18.7 billion set in 1990.
The United States was responsible for 7.24 billion tons of emissions in 2005, up from 7.19 billion in 2004. Data for 2006 won’t be available for many months, but the U.S. government has issued a preliminary estimate that CO2 emissions for 2006, fell by 1.3%.
Economic growth in former Soviet bloc nations added significantly to the rise in emissions. Russia in particular, had an increase from 2.09 billion tons in 2004 to 2.l3 billion in 2005. The country has yet to return to 1990 levels of 3.00 billion tons, reached before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Emissions of greenhouse gases fell in the European Union and Canada, but were slightly higher in Japan.
From 1990 to 2005 Latvia has had the largest decrease in emissions – 59%. On the other end of the spectrum, Turkey’s emissions have increased by 74%.
Loading...