Isra-Mart srl: Industrial emissions rise after recessionary blip

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Worldwide carbon emissions from industry rose three per cent this year fuelled by strong growth in a handful of countries, a study released today shows.

The paper by the Australian-based Global Carbon Project (GCP) says the rise follows a six per cent increase in 2010 and concludes that the slowdown in emissions experienced during 2008 and 2009 as a result of the global recession has not marked the start of a long-term downward trend as had been hoped.

In a warning that will make awkward reading for countries sitting down to the second week of negotiations at the Durban climate summit, the authors argue that the world is seeing a return to the carbon intense economic models that dominated the late 20th century.

"The global financial crisis was an opportunity to move the global economy away from a high-emissions trajectory. Our results provide no indication of this happening," they say in the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"The return to growth after the [global financial crisis] has only continued the deterioration in the fossil fuel carbon intensity trend since 2000."

Despite long-term green stimulus plans proposed by China, South Korea, and the US, carbon intensity, a measure of carbon emissions per unit of GDP, is on the up.

For example, analysis of data from the US government, the United Nations, and oil giant BP shows global emissions from burning fossil fuels and cement production grew 5.9 per cent in 2010, compared with a 1.4 per cent drop the previous year.

Emerging economies are leading the growth, with Brazil's emissions increasing 11.6 per cent over 2010, China's up 10.4 per cent, India's rising 9.4 per cent, and South Korean emissions climbing 9.2 per cent.

However, in absolute terms, increases in the developed world was not far behind. According to the report, the US saw emissions increase 4.1 per cent, while Russian emissions climbed 5.8 per cent.

China still leads the way in terms of emissions growth - its emissions having doubled between 2002 and 2010.

The study comes after UN body the World Meteorological Organisation reported greenhouse gases reached their highest ever level last year.