Written question asked by Eric Forth (Conservative) on Friday, 3 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 March 2006. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 March 2006 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Carbon Dioxide

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of carbon dioxide globally which is generated by (a) human activity and (b) natural phenomena.

Answer: The IPCC Third Assessment (2001) considers carbon dioxide (CO2 ) generated by both natural phenomena and human activities. Human emissions are estimated to be approximately 8 billion tonnes of carbon in 1990, rising to 9.1 billion tonnes of carbon in 2002, compared to approximately 210 billion tonnes of carbon generated naturally in 1990. However, as natural emissions and their removal from the atmosphere are about balanced, the additional emissions from human activities are extremely significant for the energy balance of the atmosphere.Most recent research indicates that in 2002, approximately 55 percent. of human emissions were removed from the atmosphere (5.2 billion tonnes of carbon), leaving approximately 45 percent. (3.9 billion tonnes of carbon) remaining in the atmosphere to cause global warming. This is the reason the Government have introduced a long-term aim to reduce UK CO2 emissions by 60 percent. by 2050, with real progress by 2020.

Secondary information