Global CO2 Emissions Up 2.5 Pct

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Global 2011 CO2 emissions top 34 billion metric tons: IWR

Global CO2 emissions again reached a new record in 2011 rising 2.5 percent to 34 billion metric tons (bmt), compared with 33.2 bmt in 2010, as humanoids continued to consume ever-increasing amounts of fossil fuels, according to IWR, a renewable energy institute based in Germany.

• Global CO2 emissions have risen by more than 50 percent in two decades.
• In 1990,  some 22.7 bmt of carbon dioxide were emitted globally, IWR reported.

• “China comes highest in the CO2 ranking of countries for 2011 with 8.9 bn metric tons of carbon dioxide (2010: 8.3 bn metric tons). That is 50 percent more than the USA with 6.0 bn metric tons (2010: 6.2 bn metric tons), which ranked second. At 1.8 bn metric tons (2010: 1.7 bn metric tons), India ranks third ahead of Russia with 1.67 bn metric tons (2010: 1.7 bn metric tons) and Japan with 1.3 bn metric tons (2010: 1.3 bn metric tons). Germany ranks 6th with 804 m metric tons (2010: 828 m metric tons). Among the top 10 largest emitters, the USA, Russia and Germany reduced their CO2 emissions in comparison to the previous year (all national results at http://www.cerina.org/de/co2-2011),” said IWR.

Monthly mean atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa Observatory. Source: ESRL

Annual mean carbon dioxide growth rates for Mauna Loa. Decadal averages of the growth rate are plotted as horizontal lines for 1960 through 1969, 1970 through 1979, and so on. Source: ESRL

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Birth defects in China could rise by 66 pct

China’s pollution-related birth defects could reach 242 per 10,000 this year

The the number of birth defects in China is increasing at an alarming rate.

According to a report published in 2009:

• The coal-mining Shanxi province had the largest number of birth defects.
• A 2007 commission report covering the five-year period from 2001 to 2006 recorded a 40% rise in the rate of defects from about 105 per 10,000 births to 146.
•  Defective births accounted for up to 6 percent of total every year,  China’s family planning agency said. About 30 percent of the victims die and 40 percent are disabled.
• A child is born with physical defects every 30 seconds because of the environmental pollution.
• “Birth defects are now the single biggest killer of infants on the mainland,” Professor Hu Yali of Nanjing University told the Nanjing Morning Post.
• At least 1.2 million babies are born in China with “visible defects” each year.

Researchers said emissions from Shanxi’s massive coal and chemical industry, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates, was responsible for the defects.

“The problem of birth defects is related to environmental pollution, especially in eight main coal zones,” said An Huanxiao, the director of Shanxi family planning office.

Ming Yuan 2/04  –  Ming Yuan is a boy who was born with hydrocephalus or more commonly, “water on the brain”.  This is a serious birth defect and can cause mental retardation if left unchecked.  Ming Yuan had received a shunt before we got him so the excess fluid is going into a body cavity, relieving pressure on his brain.  He is a fussy little guy who demands lots of attention from his caregivers as well as visitors.  I think he has become aware of the “squeaky wheel” syndrome and is becoming a master at it! Image and caption courtesy of China Dream Home

Meanwhile the energy demand in China has risen almost exponentially. The electricity demand is set to rise by about 40 gigawatts over the capacity this summer, officials said.

More than 70 percent of China’s electricity is generated in coal-burning plants, and the official announcement has prompted China’s Railway Ministry to deploy more trains to transport coal around the country.

Based on the available data on China’s ever increasing demand for electricity, and projection of previous national birth figures, FIRE-EARTH estimates that the number of birth defects over the 2006-2011 period could climb to 242 per 10,000 births, a 66 percent rise compared with the previous period.

Related Links

• China birth defects rise steeply
• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• Index of Human Impact on Nature
• World Problems:The Root Cause Matrix

World CO2 Emissions

World Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions (from Fossil Fuel Consumption Including Flaring, Cement Production (FFFCP), and Tropical Deforestation (TD)

From 1-1-2008 to 8-8-2008 [08:08:08 GMT 😉 ]

23,803.61 MMT CO2
20,473.47 MMT [20,472,745,746,030 kg] from FFFCP
+3,330.14 from TD

Total Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions for 2007

38,058.66 MMT CO2
32,503.49 MMT [32,503,489,000,000 kg] FFFCP
+5,555.17 MMT TD

Total anthropogenic CO2 production (1750 – Today) [based on CDIAC data updated by MSRB/CASF]

1,358,931.31 MMT CO2
1,271,796.21 MMT [1,271,796,205,000,000 kg] from FFFCP
+  87,135.11 MMT from TD

[“leftover from all previous emissions” = 1,729,948.05 MMT]

Total mass of atmospheric CO2

3,008,879.36 MMT [3,008.88 GT]

How much CO2 was there before?

Measurements of CO2 levels in Ice cores collected in Antarctica and Greenland indicate that the preindustrial carbon dioxide level was 278 ppm. Between 1000 and 1800 A.D. that level varied by no more than 7 ppm.

What about human activities?

The CO2 levels have now reached 386 ppm, which means human activities have increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 by 109 ppm or 39 percent.

Notes:
MMT: Million Metric Tons
GT: Gigatons (billion tons)
Sources: CASF/MSRB; CDIAC; Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency; Earth Systems Research Laboratory; Mauna Loa CO2 monthly mean data.

The following data were used to calculate the total mass of atmospheric CO2 :
1. Mass of dry air: 5.1352 × 10¹⁸ kg
2. The mean molar mass of air: 28.9625 g/mol.
3. Molar mass of CO2: 44.0095 g/mol.
4. Mauna Loa CO2 monthly mean data: 385.60ppmv

[On various websites reporting the carbon dioxide emissions, the total amount produced by human activities since 1750 varies from about 1.3 – 1.8 trillion tons. On one website the amount is published once as 1.36 trillion tons and again as 1.71 trillion tons of CO2 on separate pages.]

Related Links:

• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• The Billionaires’ contribution to CO2 pollution

• Protect Economy from Climate??!
• Blind scientists examining the economic elephant

• Index of Human Impact on Nature
• World Problems:The Root Cause Matrix
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
  
• Future Scenarios
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle
• Giga Trends