London, July 20 (IANS) Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main cause of global warming, increased by three percent last year, reaching an all-time high of 34 billion tonnes in 2011.
In China, the world's most populous country, average emissions of CO2 increased by nine percent to 7.2 tonnes per capita. China is now within the range of six to 19 tonnes per capita emissions of the major industrialised countries.
In the European Union, CO2 emissions dropped by three percent to 7.5 tonnes per capita. The US remain one of the largest emitters of CO2, with 17.3 tonnes per capita, despite a decline due to the recession in 2008-2009, high oil prices and an increased share of natural gas.
These are the main findings of the annual report, 'Trends in Global CO2 Emissions', released by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).
Emissions from OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries now account for only one-third of global CO2 emissions -- the same share as that of China and India combined, where emissions increased by nine percent and six percent, respectively in 2011, according to a JRC statement.
An estimated cumulative global total of 420 billion tonnes of CO2 were emitted between 2000 and 2011 due to human activities, including deforestation.
Based on recent results from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) and latest statistics on energy use and relevant activities such as gas flaring and cement production, the report shows that global CO2 emissions continued to grow in 2011, despite reductions in OECD countries.
Weak economic conditions, a mild winter, and energy savings stimulated by high oil prices led to a decrease of three percent in CO2 emissions in the European Union and of two percent in both the US and Japan.
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