CLIMATE CHANGE
Along the Road From Kyoto
Global greenhouse gas emissions keep rising
2006 marks a key year for climate policy around the world. Participants at
a U.N.–sponsored meeting in Nairobi in November will debate what
should happen after the 1997 Kyoto Treaty expires in 2012. Meanwhile,
the 34 countries that have agreed to specific cuts under the accords are
gearing up for 2008, when the enforcement clock starts ticking.
A number of nations have already moved to cut emissions. Emissions in
Germany, for example, are down by nearly a fifth compared with 1990 levels.
At the same time, emissions have risen substantially in Canada and Japan
despite their promise to achieve a 6% reduction over 1990 levels. As a
result, government officials in both nations are debating tough measures to
reverse that trend.
In contrast, the United States and Australia, two major nonratifying
nations, insist that long-term investment in technology and voluntary
reductions are a better approach; their emissions have grown steadily since
1990. And developing nations not bound by Kyoto targets, in particular
China and India, are beginning to emit carbon at absolute rates that match
those of more industrialized nations.
The following graphics depict the state of greenhouse gas emissions for
10 key countries, and where the planet is headed.
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Published by AAAS
–ELI KINTISCH (TEXT) AND KELLY BUCKHEIT (DESIGN)
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Published by AAAS