Emissions

Uh-oh... this doesn't look good.

As reported in this study, trends of CO2 emissions are increasing... at an increasing rate (i.e. getting rapidly worse), surpassing even the worst case scenarios of the IPCC. Their exact quotes:

Between 2000 and 2004, worldwide CO2 emissions increased at a rate that is over three times the rate during the 1990s - the rate increased from 1.1 % per year during the 1990s to 3.1% per year in the early 2000s.

The research also shows that the actual global emissions since 2000 grew faster than in the highest of the scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Some other statistics thrown in for flavour:

Between 2000 and 2004 the developing countries accounted for a large majority of the growth in emissions, even though they contribute only about 40% of total emissions.

In 2004, 73% of the growth in global emissions came from the developing and least developed economies, comprising 80% of the world's population. [So 80% of the population accounts for only 73% of the emissions growth... we can point no fingers.]

That same year the developed areas (including the Former Soviet Union), contributed about 60% to the total emissions. These countries [including us Australians] account for 77% of the cumulative emissions since the start of the industrial revolution.

Remember, per person, we top the list of offenders... I look forward to some tangible action soon.