Ecological footprint for CO2 emissions in relation to prosperity, around 1995
CO2 emissions and prosperity
The figure shows that there is a certain link between prosperity levels (expressed in gross domestic product per inhabitant in purchasing power corrected dollars, ppp $) and the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions linked to the consumption level of the relevant country: the more prosperous the country, the clearer the CO2 footprint. As the distribution shows, this is far from being a simple relationship: depending on their consumption and production patterns, countries with the same level of prosperity may have CO2 footprints that are much higher or lower. The dispersion is influenced by a number of factors, including geographical and climatological differences, efficiency, consumption patterns and technology.
Policy
Climate policy focuses on emissions generated within national boundaries, and not, as is the case with the CO2 footprint shown here, on total emissions for consumption, including those generated outside national boundaries. However, the vast majority of the figures shown here do relate to emissions generated within the national boundaries of the 'consuming' countries and they are therefore covered by the international climate policy (the climate treaty and the associated Kyoto Protocol). The Netherlands and various other industrialised countries have indicated that they will reduce emissions - or increases in emissions. There is no specific policy for the CO2 footprint as such.
Relevance
Current thinking about climate change is that CO2 is the main cause of climate change. It is expected that CO2 emissions will continue to increase if no action is taken. Models indicate that the global temperature at the end of this century will, if no action is taken, probably increase to 1.5 to 6 degrees above the preindustrial level. The effect of CO2 emissions is independent of the place on the planet where these emissions are generated.
Technical note
The diagram shows the relationship between prosperity and consumption-related CO2 emissions from fossil fuels for over 50 countries. The CO2 footprint was calculated by Wackernagel et al. for the 'Living Planet Report' of the World Wildlife Fund (2002).
References
- Wackernagel, M., A.C. Linares, et al. (2000). The Ecological Footprint and ecological capacities of 52 Nations; 1996 update. Redefining Progress, Oakland, USA.
- WWF (2002). Living Planet Report 2002. World Wildlife Fund, Zeist.
- World Bank (1998). World Development Indicators. The World Bank, Washington.
