Britons emit a lot of carbon dioxide! Oxfam research reveals a drastic inequality between the carbon footprints of people in the UK versus people in African countries. The difference is ridiculous. The average Briton was found to emit more carbon dioxide in only the first two weeks of the year than the average citizen of several African nations does in a whole year!
The Oxfam project found that it only takes five days for someone in the UK to emit as much carbon dioxide as someone in Rwanda does in a year. And, it only takes 12 days for the average Briton to emit as much carbon dioxide as someone in Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Guinea do in a year.
The figures for annual emissions of CO2 (per head of population) are as follows:
- Rwanda – 0.09 tons
- Malawi – 0.19 tons
- Burkina Faso – 0.25 tons
- Nigeria – 0.49 tons
- India – 1.68 tons
- Global average – 4.7 tons
- Britain – 8.3 tons
The chief executive of Oxfam GB, Danny Sriskandarajah, called the scale of global inequality revealed by the study staggering. He said:
It’s a shock to realize that in just a few days our high-carbon lifestyles here in the UK produce the same emissions as the annual footprint of people in some poor countries. However, the encouraging thing is the willingness of the British public to take action.
His view of the people’s willingness to change for the better is supported by the results of a YouGov poll, which also took place out of Oxfam.
The poll revealed that:
- 61% of people in Britain want the government to do more to address the climate emergency
- 55% of Britons say they worry about the impact of global heating
- 79% said they were likely to take one of several actions to reduce their carbon footprint
- 79% of people said they’d recycle more
- 38% said they’d change their diets, such as by eating less meat or dairy
- 68% said they’d use energy-efficient products or utility providers
- 49% would limit their air travel
- 49% would buy ethically made or second-hand products
Sriskandarajah added:
Just as large numbers of the public are resolving to reduce their carbon footprint; we need a bold new year’s resolution from the prime minister to get us on track to net-zero emissions much earlier than the current 2050 deadline. As the UK government gets ready to host global climate talks later this year, it needs to show that it is deadly serious about leading the fight against climate change.
We can only hope that the new year will bring a balance to carbon footprints worldwide! Let’s see Britons emit solutions!
