CO2 Issues

In this section we take a look at some of the less reported issues around CO2, with a look at CO2 by country and CO2 and shipping.

Top Twenty CO2 Emissions by Country
Rank No./ Country/ Emissions x1000 Tonnes/ %Global emissions

1   China 6,103,493 (21.5%)
2   USA 5,752,289 (20.2%)
3   Russia 1,564,669 (5.5%)
4    India 1,510,351 (5.3%)
5   Japan 1,293,409 (4.6%)
6   Germany 805,090 (2.0%)
7   UK 568,520 (2.0%)
8   Canada 544,680 (1.9%)
9   South Korea 475,248 (1.7%)
10 Italy 474,148 (1.7%)
11 Iran 466,976 (1.6%)
12 Mexico 436,150 (1.6%)
13 South Africa 414,649 (1.5%)
14 France 383,148 (1.4%)
15 Saudi Arabia 381,564 (1.3%)
16 Australia 372,013 (1.3%)
17 Brazil 352,524 (1.2%)
18 Spain 352,235 (1.2%)
19 Indonesia 333,483 (1.2%)
20 Ukraine 319,158 (1.1%)

Per Country, Not Per Capita?
The figures normally used in treaty negotiations are 'per capita,' which means that countries with large populations like China and India appear far lower down the order of rankings for emitters, and are considered less of a priority by some environmentalists who believe the 'Developed World' should make all the cuts first and lead by example. Others believe the 'per country' list here (the most recent figures are from 2006) suggests we need to look again at the issue of future emissions and find additional strategies to reduce the global totals.


China's Emissions
China's rise to the top of the Per Country emissions table by 2006 is a cause of concern for many. US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has expressed his concern recently that if China's growth rate in emissions continues at the current rate, it will emit more global warming gases in the next 30 years than the US has 'in its entire history.' That growth rate does seem set to continue: in the next ten years, China plans to build 97 new airports and  the remainder of the world's largest ever programme to build 550 new coal-fired power stations, so it can fully exploit its ten trillion tonnes of coal reserves. The goal is to burn around 3 billion tonnes of coal a year by 2010. It is also investing globally in fossil fuel resources, including Canadian tar sands.

CO2 and shipping
The actual CO2 produced by the global shipping industry is a controversial subject. In 2008 CO2 emissions from shipping were recalculated by the International Maritime Organisation to be three times higher than previously thought, at 1.12bn tonnes, more than Germany or the UK and about the same as Japan. If shipping was a country it would be joint fifth worst CO2 polluter in the 2006 global table, but it also releases sulphur and other chemicals that have allegedly caused up to 60,000 deaths a year worldwide. 

Most people think shipping vessels use standard diesel fuel, but actually most use bunker fuel, which a leading shipping technology company executive has described as 'waste oil...the cheapest and dirtiest fuel in the world.' Up to around 4% of the fuel can also be highly polluting sulphur, according to the Marpol Annex VI agreement from 2005. Some of the world's largest container ships that can transport over 11,000 containers across the world burn around 380 tonnes of bunker fuel a day. The Danish Emma Maersk, which carries food and consumer goods, and is one of the world's largest ships, emits more than 300,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – the same as a medium-sized coal-fired power station.


Ships like the Emma Maersk often dock at Shenzhen's Yantian wharf in China, as part of their global routing, where they pick up containers of electronics goods made at factories like Hon Hai's huge assembly plant in Shenzhen, which produces iPhones, most iPods and other Apple computers, all games consoles for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, and many other goods for household brands. Maersk Line operates 90 ships a week to ports in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to help supply the global demand for consumer goods. There are now 6 other ships the same size as the Emma Maersk, all creating similar amounts of CO2, and similar ships are operated by the other big container lines.


With 90% of world trade carried in around 50,000 vessels up until the recession, the role of shipping in CO2 production is clearly significant. Many environmentalists think shipping should be included in the 2009 Copenhagen Conference because it has so far been exempt from CO2 regulation, and (like aviation) was not covered by the Kyoto Treaty, an exemption a British MEP, Caroline Lucas, has described as 'shocking.' Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC, also thinks that the successor to Kyoto must include shipping. The French government has made similar statements.


The world recession has had an effect on global trade and of course that will affect CO2 emissions while it lasts. More than 500 container ships are currently idle, at a time when shipyards are fulfilling huge orders (placed before the recession) for new ships. Overcapacity has led to plummeting shipping charges, although these are starting to rise once again.


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