Australians produce the most CO2

| Sourced From |

Australia has overtaken the US as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas polluter per capita, a study shows. China leads as the world’s biggest overall polluter.

Australians have overtaken Americans as the world’s number one individual producers of carbon dioxide, British risk consultancy Maplecroft says.

The firm’s study places Australia’s per capita output at 20.58 tons a year, some four percent higher than the United States and topping a list of 185 countries.

Canada, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are next in the top five. However, China remains the world’s biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, followed by the United States.

Australia has high transport costs for goods and people due to the country’s vast size and isolation. It has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels.

However, emissions trading legislation was defeated in the Senate last month, leaving the target in doubt.

Tagged as: australia carbon, CO2, emission trading, GHG Emissions

Posted on September 15, 2009 · in Australasia