Carbon emissions grow to Olympian proportions

Between 2000 and 2007, global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels increased 22% to an estimated 8.2 billion tonnes, according to green group the Worldwatch Institute. China accounted for 57% of the growth in emissions during this period, while India contributed 8% and the US and Europe contributed 4% and 3%, respectively.
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Despite the dramatic rise in China’s fossil fuel emissions, the United States is still the leading emitter of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, the Washington-based group said, and Americans still outpace the Chinese more than four-to-one in terms of per capita emissions. 

However, rapid, coal-dependent development in China has driven much of the current growth in global emissions. Coal provides 70% of commercial energy in China and 56% in India.

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