theburningshore

In 2008 Qatar rated No.1 in per capita carbon emissions. Australia ranked 11th, United States 12th, South Africa 42nd and United Kingdom 25th.

Since 1990 the per capita carbon emissions of Qatar have doubled, from 25 to 53.  Those of the other countries have changed only slightly, Australia and US around 18 and South Africa and UK around 8. Over the same time period China has moved up the per capita list, from 2.2 to 5.3 tonnes per capita – and sits in 78th position.

Meantime Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Congo and numerous other underdeveloped African countries sit at the bottom of this table, with 0.1 tonnes of carbon emissions per capita, with little change over those 18 years.

Countries on the top of the list have the resources to deal with the consequences of climate change. Countries at the bottom of the list do not. 

While the UN Conference in Durban may claim great breakthroughs the Conference on Climate Change but the reality is that a committee has been established to help developing countries adapt.  The Kyoto protocol committed parties ‘in a position to do so’ to assist in technical and practical ways.  Given the current economic scenario in Europe post-GFC it is unlikely that many countries will be willing to commit resources that will actually make a significant difference.

In the meantime the struggles of Africa continue.

Source: Wikipedia

82.6 years.

This is the life expectancy at birth of people in Japan.
At the other end of the scale citizens of Angola can expect to live for just 40 years.

According to the United Nations   life expectancy in over 115 countires is over 70 years. Kenya has a life expectancy of 54.1 years, some 20% below the world average. On the list of 194 countries the Afghanistan is the only place NOT in Africa. 38 of the bottom 40 countries are in Africa.

The children of Africa cannot chose their place of birth, and nor can those born in Japan or the affluent and secure Western World. Most adults in Africa do not have the resources to make the changes that will improve their quality of life. They operate at a subsistence level, and the good governments of Africa face challenges in gathering revenue for health, education and infrastructure.

Those who benefit from higher incomes and stable government enjoy the benefits of better diet, good education and affordable and available health care. We have enough.

If you are able to read this post you are among the richest and more educated people in the world. You might like to think about how you can use some of your resources to make a positive difference to some lives in Africa.

“Africa suffers the equivalent of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami every month of every year, a deadly tide of disease and hunger that rarely makes the TV news but causes thousands of people to die quietly and out of sight every day. In years to come, future generations will look back and ask: how could our world have known all this and yet done nothing?”

“Our Common Interest”
Report of Commission for Africa