The increase of concentration of carbonic gas in the atmosphere occurs by two major reasons - natural and man-made. However in the last decades the “human component “ increases. Carbon gets in the atmosphere because of destruction of woods (up to 1.5 billion tons of carbonic gas annually), increases in volumes of burnt oil, gas, coal (6 billion tons) and other processes. During burning coal it is thrown in the atmosphere more carbonic gas than by burning oil, and by burning oil - more than by burning gas.
According to “The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center†(operates in structure of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
- since 1751 in the world atmosphere has gone 315 billion tons of carbon.
- Half of these emissions has occurred after the middle of 1970’s
- Approximately 77.5 % of emissions have achieved in an atmosphere as a result of burning firm (coal) and liquid (oil) fuels.
- 18.1 % - due burning of natural gas,
- 3.8 % - due manufacturing of cement (it is interesting, that for last five years ” the cement component ” has increased twice).
In 2003 (last accessible data ,accepted by the majority of experts) largest contaminants of the atmosphere were
1. the USA (1.580 billion metric tons of carbon)
2. Russia (1.131 billion),
3. India (407.5 millions),
4. Japan (336 millions),
5. Germany (219 millions),
6. Canada (154 millions),
7. the Great Britain (152 millions),
8. South Korea (124 millions) and
9. Italy (121 million).
For comparison: Iran was on 12th place, France - on 13th , Ukraine - on 16th , Saudi Arabia - on 19th , Kazakhstan - on 26th , Uzbekistan - on 33rd
, Israel - on 45th , Azerbaijan - on 71st The least contribution to process of global warming gets the state Kiribati (8 tons, 208th place).
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for the period from 1990 to 2004, following countries began to throw out in the atmosphere much more of “greenhouse” gases :
1. Turkey (+ 72.6 %),
2. Spain (+ 49 %),
3. Portugal (+41 %),
4. Canada (+26.6 %),
5. Greece (+26.5 %),
6. Australia (+25.1 %),
7. Ireland (+23.1 %),
8. New Zealand (+21.3 %),
9. Liechtenstein (+18.5 %) and
10. the USA (+15.8 %).
Countries which have considerably lowered volumes of emissions (according to same source – research for the period from 1990 to 2004 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) :
1. Lithuania (- 60.4 %),
2. Latvia (-58.5 %),
3. Ukraine (-55.3 %),
4. Estonia (-51 %),
5. Bulgaria (-49 %),
6. Belarus (-41.6 %),
7. Romania (-41 %),
8. Russia (-32 %),
9. Hungary (-31.8 %) and
10. Poland (-31.2 %).
The note: considered were information for only 41 countries of the world.
The polls ,carried out in the USA, shows that the majority of Americans consider, that global warming actually develop and the reason of global warming is the human civilization. The number of the people supporting this point of view, has noticeably grown for last three years. For example, ( according to broadcasting of CNN -May, 2007),
54 % interrogated are assured that the humans are culpable for warming,
20 % - that the natural reasons are blameworthy for warming, and
22 % - that this theory still require the proof.
Examinations of broadcasting companies ABC and Washington Post (also May, 2007) has shown, that 84 % of Americans are certain that world temperatures have grown for last 100 years. For 82 % of interrogated this problem has personal value.
The basic “recipes†for counteraction to global warming ,which are suggested by the population of the USA, are simple enough. Their essence consists that it is necessary to use less resources (for example, to spend less fuel and water, to get new ,more economical electro devices and so forth) and to live “green” way of life (for example, to move by foot or on a bicycle at short distances, instead of by the machine; to plant trees and so forth).