As Government Proclaims Australia "Leading The World On Climate", Emissions Up 38% 1994 - 2004

[hatrack]

AUSTRALIA is the ninth biggest contributor to increased global carbon emissions, a new World Bank report has found. The bank report shows that between 1994 and 2004, Australia's annual emissions of carbon dioxide (the world's main greenhouse gas) increased by 107 million tonnes, or 38 per cent. Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared yesterday that Australia was "leading the world on climate change".

Australia's emissions grew by more than the combined increase in emissions by Britain, France and Germany, which have 10 times our population. In Denmark, which has become the world leader in wind energy, carbon dioxide emissions fell by 9 million tonnes, or 13 per cent.

The report, Growth and CO2 Emissions: How do different countries fare?, released in October, examined the trends among the world's 70 biggest producers of greenhouse gases. Australia was almost unique in being a developed country whose emissions are not only very high but growing rapidly.

It said that on a population basis, Australia had the sixth highest emissions of carbon dioxide — 19.36 tonnes per head in 2004, roughly three times that of Sweden and Switzerland, more than five times that of China, 19 times that of India and 72 times that of Bangladesh.

EDIT

http://www.theage.com.au/news/federalelection2007news/australia-scores-badly-on-emissions-growth-report/2007/10/31/1193618975747.html

[phantom power]

1. They're leading the world on climate all right.

If by "leading" they mean "first industrialized nation to go from food exporter to food importer due to climate change."

[XemaSab]

2. The word "change" is missing from the headline

:P