UNFCCC: GHG Emissions in Industrialized Countries on the Rise Since 2000

In the run-up to the UN COP14 summit in Poland, in December, UN's climate watchdog (UNFCCC) has issued its latest figures on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the world's industrialized countries.

The report shows that the emissions of the 40 so-called Annex I countries have fallen 4.7% between 2006 and the benchmark year of 1990. This decrease is, however, primarily due to an economic collapse in the '90s in most of the former Soviet republics.

After 2000, these transition economies have recovered intensely, and the total GHG emitted in all 40 industrialized nations have in risen by 2.3% in the period from 2000 to 2006. From 2005 to 2006, the latest available figures, the aggregated GHG emissions in all 40 countries fell again, but only by a mere 0.1%.

U.S. emissions increased since 1990

According to UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer, the figures demonstrate that there has not been sufficient action on curbing emissions in many countries. Since 1990, emissions have risen heavily in many developed countries. EU countries Spain and Portugal have seen increases in GHG emissions of 50.6% and 40.0% respectively.

The United States and Australia also seem to have trouble cutting their production of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The U.S. economy has increased its emissions by 14.4% since 1990, and, in Australia, the number is nearly 29%.

Even in Denmark, host country of the pivotal UN climate summit next year, the data show a 2.2% increase from 1990 to 2006. For a list of the relative emission changes in all 40 Annex 1 countries, see page 9 of the full UNFCCC report.

Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden are the only long-time developed countries that have made significant emission reductions since 1990 – with reductions of 18.2%, 15.1% and 8.7% respectively.

Urgent Action Needed

When all developments in the 40 Annex I countries are aggregated, it seems that the world's developing countries are far from reaching the reductions many scientists say are needed to avoid causing irreversible climatic consequences –  or even to meet the average 5% emission decrease laid out by the Kyoto Protocol from 1997, which has been ratified by all of the Annex I countries save for the United States.

As Yvo de Boer says, "the figures clearly underscore the urgency for the UN negotiating process to make good progress in Poznan and move forward quickly in designing a new agreement to respond to the challenge of climate change."