Global carbon emissions still rising

Despite increased attention and international action on climate change, the growth rate of carbon emissions has continued to increase, according to research.

The latest update from the Global Carbon Project (GCP) put atmospheric C02 concentrations at 383ppm at the end of 2007. Man-made CO2 emissions have been growing about four times faster than pre-2000 figures, the group claims, despite efforts made by signatories to the Kyoto Protocol.

Emissions from the fossil fuels and land-use change reached 10 billion tonnes of carbon in 2007, according to GCP, an organisation made up of numerous leading climate academics and researchers from Europe and the US. "This new update of the carbon budget shows the acceleration of CO2 emissions and atmospheric accumulation are unprecedented and most astonishing during a decade of intense international developments to address climate change,” said Dr Pep Canadell, executive director at the Global Carbon Project.

According to GCP, while developing countries such as China and India continue to increase emissions, China has made some improvements to the carbon intensity of its economy since 2005 if data from the National Energy Administration in China proves accurate.

The group also explained that natural land and ocean CO2 sinks, which have removed 54 per cent (or 4.8 billion tons per year) of all CO2 emitted from human activities during the period 2000-2007, are now becoming less efficient.

"While the size of these sinks continues to grow in response to greater concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, they are losing efficiency as feedbacks between the carbon cycle and climate increase," GCP said in a statement.