Monthly Archives: February 2016

India’s Climate Debt is on track for something big

India’s Climate Debt is on track for something big

2016

India’s accumulated Climate Debt is $13 per capita which ranks the populous country 84th among 148 countries (see the ‘Ranking’). The current share of the fast growing global Climate Debt is 0.29%, compared to 0.04% in 2010. The following examines India’s CO2 Emissions (the increase-rates is compared to the historic Chinese rates), Environmental Performance, GDP(ppp-$) and Climate Debt in comparison with Vietnam, Morocco, Armenia and Bolivia, all ranked between 77th and 82nd.

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Japans Climate Debt after the Nuclear Power shutdown

Japans Climate Debt after the Nuclear Power shutdown

In 2010 near 27% of Japans electricity supply was generated by Nuclear Power – in 2012, shortly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the percentage was below 2%. How did Japan respond to this energy shock and how did it influence the Climate Debt in ClimatePositions? The following examines the Nuclear Power (and electric energy mix), CO2 Emissions, GDP(ppp-$) and Climate Debt.

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Climate Debt: Trinidad and Tobago ranks 3rd (the percentage of GDP is World’s highest)

Climate Debt: Trinidad and Tobago ranks 3rd (the percentage of GDP is World’s highest)

Sometimes small countries behave extremely destructive, more or less unnoticed by the public. This article is about such a country. Each of the 1.2 million inhabitants of the islands Trinidad and Tobago emitted, on average, 37.1 tons of CO2 from Fossil Fuels (without bunker fuels) and cement production in 2011 … only Qatar emitted more. The islands close to Venezuella has the 3rd largest per capita Climate Debt and by far the world’s largest Climate Debt measured as percentage of GDP(ppp-$).

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Climate Debt: Kuwait ranks 2nd … however, soon with “cleaner” fossil fuels!?

Climate Debt: Kuwait ranks 2nd … however, soon with “cleaner” fossil fuels!?

The current Kuwaiti Climate Debt, accumulated since 2000, is $26,347 per capita and the ‘Ranking’ is 2nd among 148 countries. However, the extremely wealthy authoritarian oil state plans to generate a “low carbon economy” by creating “refinery alternatives with lower emissions and produce cleaner fuels” … according to a Google translation of the COP21 Submission 2015, written only in Arabic, Kuwait claims to be a developing country and consequently it expects developed countries to pay for its climate change mitigation, technology transfer etc. All this is of course greedy nonsense and inconsistent with the collectively agreed “efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.” Seriously, the Kuwaiti problem is this: Around 61% of all known extractable gas reserves in Middle East and 38% of all known oil reserves will have to stay in ground beyond 2010 if global warming is to be limited to 2°C¹. Once a schedule for such a genuine low carbon economy is on track, Kuwait might again become a developing country with reasonable funding wishes. The following examines Kuwait’s CO2 Emissions, Environmental Performance, GDP(ppp-$) and Climate Debt.

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China’s share of the global Climate Debt is growing fast

China’s share of the global Climate Debt is growing fast

In 2010 China’s share of the global Climate Debt was 7.4% and by January 2016 it has grown dramatically to 13.3% (see the ‘ranking’). Since 2000 the Chinese share of the growing global CO2 Emissions has grown from 13.7% to about 29.0% (preliminary emissions by 2014). Luckily, the populous superpower has committed itself to pursue “efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C” … according to the COP21 Paris Agreement. The following examines the development of CO2 Emissions, Environmental Performance, GDP(ppp-$), Climate Debt and Population (with respect to the one-child policy).

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The United States’ huge share of the growing global Climate Debt is decreasing

The United States’ huge share of the growing global Climate Debt is decreasing

Worldwide, eyes are on the United States due to its massive historic greenhouse gas emissions and its sabotage of attempts to reach a fair and globally binding reduction agreement. Instead, the world is stocked with “intended nationally determined contributions towards achieving the objective […] consistent with holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.” If this baloney-goal is to be taken seriously, then the United States must cut emissions from fossil fuels by around 80% (give and take), within fifteen years, or so. The following examines the development of CO2 Emissions, Environmental Performance, GDP(ppp-$) and accumulated Climate Debt.

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