The Next Ten Years

Filed in archive Opinion on October 31, 2006

The Observer reports that if the governments of this planet do nothing, the next ten years may be the last period before everyone will feel the wrath of abrupt climate change and ultimately suffer. And which governments should pay close attention to this prophecy?

They are:

1. The United States (total carbon emissions in million metric tons)
1984: 4,597.85
2004: 5,912.21

2. The United Kingdom
1984: 566.88
2004: 579.68

3. India
1984: 400.55
2004: 1,112.84

4. Japan
1984: 895.64
2004: 1,262.10

5. China
1984: 1,707.91
2004: 4,707.28

These five countries also belong to the top ten world oil consumers. The large industrialized countries composed of the US, countries in Europe, Japan, India, and China account for 75%. shouldn't they have proportional responsibility? Read more about the report here.