Oz CO2 Emissions Growth 2X Global Rate, 4.5X Global Average On Per Capita Basis - Inefficient, Too!

[hatrack]

Australia's emissions of carbon dioxide during the past 25 years have risen at almost twice the world average rate, a CSIRO analysis shows. The country is also a poor performer in producing energy and wealth from the large amounts of fossil fuel it burns.

Michael Raupach, of CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, said action was needed to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. On these two criteria Australia was "more similar to developing than developed countries," Dr Raupach said.

Australia has 0.32 per cent of the world's population, yet produces 1.43 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. This means that, per person, pollution levels are 4.5 times the global average, just below the value for the United States, the analysis shows.

Emissions have also been accelerating much faster here than in other developed countries, rising on average at twice the growth rate of the US and Japan, and five times the growth rate of Europe since the early 1980s. Other developed countries are more efficient at producing energy from the fossil fuels they burn, with Australia using 25 to 30 per cent more fuel per unit of energy produced than the US, Europe and Japan.

EDIT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/australias-greenhouse-emissions-twice-world-rate/2007/05/22/1179601374518.html