Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Greenhouse gas emissions up, especially in transition countries

UN's climate change agency has released new figures that showed how in period from 2000 to 2006 greenhouse gas emissions rose to 2,3 %, with biggest increases in former Soviet countries and Canada. Canada is particularly worrying because its greenhouse gas emissions rose incredible 21,3 % in period between 1990 and 2006. Eastern European countries also recorded significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions of 7,4 %. This of course is anything but a good sign in world's fight against climate change, and it clearly shows that current efforts are not enough and that world has to search for new solutions.

There hasn't been official report that would indicate condition in major emitting countries like China and USA, but many experts believe that emissions in these countries are constantly rising, especially in China because of its recent economic boom. The problem with greenhouse gas emission rise is especially connected with countries that are going through a phase of transition becoming stronger economically because these countries are then experiencing sudden energy demand that is mostly satisfied with dirty fossil fuels that produce CO2 and other greenhouse gases when burn. Renewables are very rarely decent alternative in transition countries because they haven't yet become dominant in the world's strongest economies, so we really can not expect their use in developing nations.

World has to act very quickly on this matter because so far we are slowly but surely losing fight against global warming and climate change. If we want to change the outcome of this fight whole world's needs some new "revolutionary" clean energy plan that would really make the difference. Of course everything has to be done on global level with the inclusion of all world's leading countries. And it has to be done as soon as possible because greenhouse gas emissions are constantly rising.

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