Truemors
Man-made gas emissions have risen since last year
Man-made emissions of carbon dioxide, which mainly causes global warming, has jumped three percent since last year, scientists said yesterday.
So essentially this means that more carbon dioxide is being released into the air than the worst case scenario that was forecast by the the Nobel prize winning group of scientists in 2007. It will put the world on track for the highest rises in temperature and sea levels.
The pollution leader was China, followed by the United States, which past data show is the leader in emissions per capita in carbon dioxide output. And while several developed countries slightly cut their CO2 output in 2007, the United States churned out more.
Still, it was large increases in China, India and other developing countries that spurred the growth of carbon dioxide pollution to a record high of 9.34 billion tons of carbon (8.47 billion metric tons). Figures released by science agencies in the United States, Great Britain and Australia show that China's added emissions accounted for more than half of the worldwide increase. China passed the United States as the No. 1 carbon dioxide polluter in 2006.
Emissions in the United States rose nearly 2 percent in 2007, after declining the previous year. The U.S. produced 1.75 billion tons of carbon (1.58 billion metric tons).
Gregg Marland, a senior staff scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said he was surprised at the results because he thought world emissions would drop because of the economic downturn. That didn't happen.
The emissions, which are based on data from oil giant BP PLC and look at the burning of fossil fuel and production of cement, show that China has become the major driver of world trends. China emitted 2 billion tons of carbon (1.8 billion metric tons) last year, up 7.5 percent from the previous year.
Developing countries that were not asked to reduce emissions by the 1997 Kyoto treaty can now account for 53 percent of of carbon dioxide pollution.
September 26, 2008 at 10:20 am by amyjudd, 1457 views, 62 comments
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (62)
at 11:07 on September 26th, 2008
Yet, it has not been warmer.
at 11:14 on September 26th, 2008
Fairbanks,
It depends on where you live, it's a big planet. For instance if you live in Greenland it has warmed so much they grew their own cabbages outdoors for the first time in history this year.
at 11:33 on September 26th, 2008
at 00:56 on September 27th, 2008
Not the first time in History though, the Viking some 800 years ago did so as well on Greenland.
at 16:21 on October 4th, 2008
If there is more global warming places like northern Canada and Russia could become bigger food producers. But I have that much of Greenland.s land under the ice is below sea level.
at 16:53 on October 22nd, 2008
Moon, we grew very large cabbage in the arctic due to sunlight being 23 hrs. In History? Cabbage is easy to grow in the arctic and sub-arctic
Source: greenlandexpo.com
at 01:00 on September 27th, 2008
Wrong, Temperature, on Global average have rises by another 0.27 degree Celsius and water Temperatures even further. UN reports are being updated monthly.
at 11:12 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 14:39 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. CO2, the Top 2 polluters China, USA
at 15:59 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
- reply
Christopher Oaxacaat 16:15 on September 26th, 2008
It was an early morning and the sky was particularly clear that day, unfortunately the bright blue sky was blemished by this Asarco smoke stack.
Christopher Oaxaca has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:56 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
I went along to hear the great Professor Tim Flannery speak last Thursday, in Melbourne. He posed a provocative question: "Sometime this century, after 4 billion years, some of Earth’s regulatory systems will pass from control through evolution by natural selection, to control by human intelligence. Will humanity rise to the challenge?"
The video of the lecture will be online here on 29 Sept.
at 18:15 on September 26th, 2008
Driving down Rt 18, it is hard to take my eyes off this scene.
Impact to the mind as I drive closer.
As almost forced to stop, I do and take this picture.
Impact.
-dangler has contributed a photo to this story.
at 18:31 on September 26th, 2008
Its interesting to think that carbon di-oxide actually has a nourishing effect on plants though and trees .. I bought some New Zealand Eucalyptus (3) about 7 years ago and they are 30 foot now ! They were supposed to be less than that ... And burning the leaves ( I had to cull some branches) made me realise the aromatic oil was like a bloody flamethrower ..Me and Kitty , my cat , sceamed out of the way when the bonfire went up .. I was faster than her !
at 18:34 on September 26th, 2008
Photo from along the Ohio River
holysniki has contributed a photo to this story.
at 18:36 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. because Kitty and me are environmentalists .....She is a vegetarian cat too .. Carrot mice are good for her ..
- reply
peeveeadsat 18:59 on September 26th, 2008
Women in Indian villages, face this very own problem of smoke. They are poor and earn their living by some low paying agricultural jobs and cook food using fire woods. This picture was shot in a pottery town in Bangalore, India.
peeveeads has contributed a photo to this story.
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david friskeat 19:04 on September 26th, 2008
Photograph of smoke stack made in Milwaukee Wisconsin. In an area know as the Third Ward. A very industrial part of the city.
david friske has contributed a photo to this story.
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alex2665at 19:26 on September 26th, 2008
There is not so much to tell. But it is a DONG-energy powerstation in Denmark that suplies electricity and distant heating. You can watch a video if you follow the link and get more story about it.
LINK:
http://www.dongenergy.com/EN/business+activities/generation/electricity+generation/electricity+generation.htm
alex2665 has contributed a photo to this story.
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abandonthecubeat 19:41 on September 26th, 2008
I live and work in China. Pollution is a daily problem here, where one in four people will develop severe lung conditions. Last week was a terrible week across the East coast of China. The first week after the Olympics/paraolympics and thus the first week with factories restarted and cars back on the roads. It was apparent on Monday that we'd be coughing and blowing black dust out of our noses by Friday. Hopefully the people of Beijing will protest the reemergence of smog and make the Olympic changes permanent. In the meantime, there are a lot of coughing/wheezing people under the smog over here.
at 21:07 on September 26th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. the quote presented by maireid sullivan "Will humanity rise to the challenge?" is the big question here.
- reply
JLGAat 23:25 on September 26th, 2008
Massive pollution at daylight in Chengdu, China. Inconveniences of speeding up?
JLGA has contributed a photo to this story.
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emianaat 00:04 on September 27th, 2008
What was amazing to us when we visited China was that each day we were there, the sun was so filtered by the pollution in the air that we could pretty much look up at it without hurting our eyes. For the same reason, we never needed sunscreen. The layer of pollution was sufficient to filter out any burning rays. It was quite bizarre and terrifying actually.
at 00:25 on September 27th, 2008
I grew up in the city that 15 of these photos were shot; Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada to be precise. In my last year of university I decided to do a photo study on the industrial landscape of my home town. Saint John is pretty much completely controlled by the Irving corporation to the point where they get away with insane environmental crimes and never get in trouble for them. This photo study was pretty eye opening for me because I was caught in the middle of two situations. If we cut down the amount of industry there was in our city there would be much less pollution (from the coal power plant, pulp and paper mill, oil refinery etc) but Saint John would be nearly shut down. These jobs keep my town going but they're killing the environment... and I'm sure there are 100s of other towns just like mine across North America. This is just scratching the surface of the issue, though. As you pointed out China is a main offender as they put next to no thought into emissions when dealing with industry.
iskander has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:01 on September 27th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
- reply
Sean Barnardat 01:09 on September 27th, 2008
This is just a typical evening in Shanghai on the edge of the River Bund
Sean Barnard has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:46 on September 27th, 2008
This was taken on a road trip outside Beijing.
elitchou has contributed a photo to this story.
at 02:45 on September 27th, 2008
I recall in the 1980's - discovering that the average "guard cell count" had altered on leaves of some plants. Plants long ago preserved by botanists were studied and the gas exchange area "guard cells" were comparitively less in number compared with those in the present indicating nature was responding even in small ways to the increased concentration of CO2 and that some plants were not going to expend energy creating unecessary structures ..
Small things are large
And never quite what you'll expect
For galaxies and planet's whisper
In the Butterfly Effect
SR
at 03:50 on September 27th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. What I don't understand is why we don't have a proper carbon credits trading system that encourages each company to cut down their use! I know it takes a long time to get consensus but we seem to do so little. And in the UK our carbon emmissions are still rising. We stupidly missed the boat to become a world leader in wind power even though wind in Britain is a significant resource. Will we ever really wake up to what is occurring to the earth?
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buddhawarriorat 08:16 on September 27th, 2008
this photo was taken in Shang hai china. Sometimes we'd look up at the noon day sun, and it would be the color of a sunset. Dimly orange red. The tour guide in every city would talk about how their city was next to a river or mountain that kept it "foggy". The tour guides were all in their 20s and too young to remember what a blue sky looks like. Either they were truly ignorant to the pollution or are pawns to a greater public relations conspiricy, I'll just never know.
buddhawarrior has contributed a photo to this story.